The Legend Of Korra: The Last Avatar
by I'm No Hero
Summary: AU where the Avatar was created by an evil spirit. I hope you guys enjoy it and critics are welcome, but please no hate :) It's rated T, but Chapter 6 and the last scenes of Chapter 2 are rated M for some blood and violence.
1. Chapter 1: Legends

This story begins at the end of the world, a place known as the Southern Water Tribe. Here, in the middle of its wide, blue ocean, lies a statue of a woman wearing traditional water tribe clothing. This woman, of course, is Avatar Korra, the last Avatar. She was the last because, for some unknown reason, she chose to break the Avatar Cycle. But in doing so, she saved not just the human world, but the Spirit World as well. This statue was made in honor of her and her sacrifice. 15 years ago, something strange happened in the world. The sky became grayish, strange weather occurrences and strange light patterns, and beams of light were seen from the Northern and Southern Water Tribes, where the portal to the Spirit World exists. It lasted for quite a few hours before it stopped. After that, Avatar Korra suddenly returned. She had vanished one year prior. Except, she wasn't the Avatar anymore and she looked terrible, her clothing ripped in several places, particularly in the lower-left part of her stomach where a hole resided. It seemed like she was stabbed, blood was around it, but there was no wound. Two strangers, men, were also accompanying her. Tenzin, Avatar Aang's son, and along with his family, the only airbenders left, was thrilled to see her again. Korra was like a daughter to him. They really bonded and got close during her airbending training. He was very worried when she had disappeared and never gave up searching for her, even when most people had. Her disappearance had left some lingering resentment in some people. Even when she returned, she had been gone for over a year, some people couldn't really forgive her for leaving them. Especially after she told them that the Avatar is no more. The Avatar was eventually forgotten over the years and her story began to fade into legend all around the world. People still knew who the Avatar was, but it was just old story. Of course, aside from Tenzin's family, Lin Beifong, former police chief of Republic City, Mako and his girlfriend Asami, and his brother Bolin were there too to greet their long-lost friend. They all asked her the same question, where did she disappear to four years ago and who are these people accompanying her? Before she answered, she asked them if anything strange happened. They told her everything, but when they asked what it was all about and how she knows, she didn't answer. Or rather she did, but was being very cryptic about her answer. "To save the world," she answered when asked why she broke the cycle. Other than that story, no one really knows the truth about what happened. No one except for one person, and the truth is scarier and more intriguing than anyone could imagine. A non-bender and in his mid-30s, he lives in the Southern Water Tribe with his two children, Katara, his daughter, named after one of the greatest waterbender and healer in the world, and Jace, his son. Katara is the older of the two and very much resembles her mother. Like their mother, they both are waterbenders. One time, they were playing together, waterbending and such, with their father near the coastal wall. "Woooooo…!" Katara shouted. "One day, I'm gonna be the best waterbender in the whole world." "Yeah, right. Best after me, you mean?" her brother replied as they splashed water at each other. "But you know what would be really cool? If we could learn another element, like fire, or maybe air. Yeah, airbending. Can we, daddy?" "Hahaha, well, unfortunately, no," he answered, to their disappointment. "Oh, why not?" "It's just the way things are. That is, unless you're the Avatar," he said, smiling. "Yeah, I know," she said still playing around. "Daddy? What happened to the Avatar?" Jace asked. He exhaled before continuing, "Well, now that's a very long story." He then took the children and climbed up the stairs to get a good view of the ocean and a view of the statue of Avatar Korra in the distance. The Southern Water Tribe built this statue for her a long time ago, despite all the hatred and criticism from most people. They still respected and believed her. She was one of them after all, family. "There's the Avatar right there, the last one," the father stated pointing at the statue. "Yeah, I know who she is, dad," Katara said. Looking at the statue brought about feelings to the surface for the children. "I miss mom," Katara said. "I know you do. I miss her too," her father replied, hugging her. "But dad, you know the legend, right? About what happened with the Avatar, I mean." she asked. "Yeah, dad. Can you tell us?" Jace continued. "Maybe," he said with a smile. "Come on, dad. Please tell us. Pleeeaasseee," they said, grinning. Their father sighed before telling them. "Well, like I said, it's a pretty loooong story," he said while sitting down. "Are you sure you guys really wanna know?" They both nodded, sitting down too. "Alright. Well, as the legend goes, it started 15 years ago…."


	2. Chapter 2: 15 Years Ago

It started 15 years ago in a small town in the Earth Kingdom. It lies on the coast with its own beach. Behind the town was a chain of tall mountains, covered in snow, stretching as far as the eye can see. It's pretty isolated, even though it isn't that far from Republic City. The only way out of the town is by boat. In one of the houses is where our story begins, where a man was sitting down eating his breakfast while listening to the radio. He was wearing a dark green jacket with a plain white shirt and long grayish pants. He had dark hair and it was a bit long, reaching almost to his eyes, but quite neat. His skin was white, but gotten a bit darker from spending time out in the sun. On the radio they were playing something from Republic City, something about pro-bending. And then, a radio announcement about Avatar Korra suddenly appeared. They were talking about her disappearance one year ago. Some people were still searching for her, mostly Tenzin, Avatar Aang's son, and a few other close friends, but most people had given up that their Avatar would never return. No one knows why she vanished, but the man didn't care too much about that stuff, about that Avatar business, so he turned it off. He finished eating, grabbed his bag, and headed out. A few of his neighbors greeted him and he greeted them back, but he was in a rush. He didn't care about a lot of things back then. Well, it's not that he didn't care, he just didn't think about it too much. He did what he had to and survived. He was on his way to the beach to get to his boat. He worked as a fisherman and business wasn't very good considering it was the Winter season. Even though it wasn't extremely cold in the town, mostly affects the mountains, the water was still cold enough to make the fishes disappear. There were still a few, but it would be very rare. It didn't really matter that much cause he was about to be late for work that day anyway, as he ran into a couple of people who have been bullying him since forever. "Hey, pipsqueak. Where are you going?" they said to him. "Oh, great," he said. "Look, guys. Can we not do this today?" "Hahahaha," they laughed hysterically, "I don't think so." He sighed as he could see where it was going. "Alright, guys," he said. As he slipped the bag from his shoulders, he quickly threw it to them causing one of them to fall back and knock over a few barrels that knocked the other guys down. In the confusion, he made a break for it. He inadvertently ran towards the mountains. "You're dead!" the guy screamed. Having no other options, he started running uphill deeper into the mountains. It began to get colder and colder as he headed upwards into the snowy area. He thought that they wouldn't follow him into the mountains, but he was wrong, as they were right behind him. "Shit!" he exclaimed. He started to get tired from all the running, and the cold didn't help either. All the snow covering the path also made it quite difficult to move around. He decided to hide behind one of the huge tress and let them pass, which they did. "I think he went this way," one of them said. He let out a sigh of relief, although the cold was starting to get to him. He was shivering. And a small blizzard had just rolled in. He started walking to find his way back, but the blizzard made it hard to see. The cold took its toll on him. He was about to give up until he saw some lights in the distance. He started running towards it. It was a small log cabin. He was surprised to see it, but smoke was coming out of the chimney, so he thought that someone must be inside. He walked towards it, but was discovered by the gang, also lost in the snow. "Shit!" he exclaimed again. He ran towards the cabin and knocked on the door furiously. "Please, help me. Is anyone there?" he asked. Unfortunately for him, no one answered the door. He slid down the door in despair and sat there against it as he saw them coming. "We got you now, hahaha," they said. Suddenly, the door swings open and he almost fell through. The blizzard suddenly came to a halt and stopped. He turned around and saw this girl, this beautiful, dark-skinned girl, standing in the entryway. She was wearing a light-blue snow jacket and pants lined with white fur around the hood. Her hair was brownish, almost dark, and it was long, not held back. "Please, help me," he said to her before fainting at her feet. "You best stay out of this lady, this doesn't concern you." She raised her hand and turned the snow into water to push them away, slamming them to a tree. "She's a waterbender!" they shouted. "Now you guys better leave here now before I kick your ass," the woman said. Instead of doing that, one of them got angry and charged at her, saying, "I don't think so." She raised an eyebrow before moving her feet, and suddenly the guy was trapped in ice. "Anyone else?" she said. The others quickly ran away. She tapped her feet to break the ice trapping him. "Now get outta here," she said one last time. He nodded before running off as quickly as he can to join the rest of his gang. After that, she turned around to see the man that fainted at her door. She sighed before picking him up and bringing him inside. She laid him on her bed to rest.

That night, he woke up to find himself in a strange cabin. He didn't really remember what happened that morning. His head was still pounding. He got up and looked out the window. "It's night already," he said, "damn. There goes my payday." Suddenly, he heard rustling outside and he saw someone coming. "Shit!" The doorknob was moving and the door was about to open. He quickly looked around and grabbed a poker near the fireplace. As the person entered, he was about to strike. "Whoa!" the woman said holding some firewood in her arm. He stopped midway before it could hit her. "Haha, is that the way you thank all your rescuers?" she asked him. Still anxious, he calmed down and said, "Sorry. I thought you were someone else," he replied. "You mean those guys that were after you? Don't worry, they're long gone," she explained. "Yeah, thanks for that by the way." "No problem." She grabbed the poker from his hand and headed towards the fireplace. The fire was already pretty low and the wood had already burned off. She put the new ones in and stoked them with the poker. The man sat back down on the bed, tired. "What did they want from you, anyway?" she inquired. "Oh, those guys have been troubling me for as long as I can remember," he explained, "they're just thugs, bad people." "Well, I'm glad to see you're okay," the woman said, "you can rest here a few more minutes, but when you're set, I'm afraid you're gonna have to leave." "That's it, just like that?" "Yeah," she said, looking quite expressionless, but you could still see the sadness underneath. After he's all set, he was ready to leave. "Alright, I'm going now," he said. "Alright," she said, expressionless. He sighed, "Okay, look, I'm scared, okay? It's dark, I don't know the way, and those guys might jump as soon as I get back to town. Can you at least come with me?" he explained. "I'm sorry, I can't," she replied. Pretty sure a small tear rolled down her right cheek. "Why not? Please, I'm scared." She raises her head, obviously deep in thought. "Okay," she said reluctantly. "Thanks," he expressed with a gesture of gratitude. She took a few moments to gather herself before grabbing her snow jacket and putting it on. "Let's go," she said. Thankfully, the blizzard has stopped, but it was still pretty cold. The woman knew the area like the back of her hand. She had been here awhile. As they head downwards, they started to see the town. He was excited to see it. I'm gonna be home soon, he thought to himself. Although reluctant at first, she brought herself up to try and talk to him after travelling in silence the whole way. "Sooo… Do you have anyone waiting for you back home?" she asked him. "What? Oh, not really. I got my house, that's pretty much all I have. I mean, I have a job, enough to live. Maybe it's not the glamorous life, but at least I can survive," he explains. "Okay. You don't seem to happy about it," she noticed. "It's just…ever since I lost my family, things have been different." "I'm so sorry," she said sincerely. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you lose them?" "It was over a year ago. We were in Republic City, just visiting, you know. It was bad timing, cause that's when the equalists took over the city. I got away, but my parents died trying to protect me from them," he explained. "At least Avatar Korra stopped them eventually." She looked at him with sadness before smiling at that last statement. "It must be nice," she said. "What is?" "To be remembered like that, as a hero. It must be nice." "I guess. I wouldn't know, I'm not the Avatar, haha," he said jokingly. "Hahaha, yeah, you're not," she said laughing. But it was obvious that something was gnawing at her. Finally they were out of the woods and out of the snow. He was back. "Ah, finally. A familiar sight," he said. She chuckled and said, "You seem okay for someone who…you know." "Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I miss my parents, but being depressed or wallowing about it won't really help me," he explained, "I just have to accept it and live my life. I don't think my parents would've wanted me to fall apart, you know." "You're a strong person," she remarked. "Thanks. Hey, it just occurred to me, I don't even know your name." "My name?" she said trying to dodge the question, "oh, my name's not important." "Oh, come on. How am I supposed to thank the one who saved my life? Here, I'll start. Hello, my name is Taka."

Inhaling in surprise, "So, so it's-" Katara said. "Shhhhh… Please don't interrupt yet, let me finish," her father interrupted.

The woman smiled. This is the first time she's actually really talked with someone in a long time. "My name…my name is Yue," she said. "See, that wasn't so hard, right?" "No, it wasn't," she said, feeling happy. "My house isn't too far away now. It's just the next corner," he said, excited. "Well, then, I guess this is where I leave you," she said reluctantly. "No, come on. Stay for a bit. It's the least I can do for my rescuer, especially after you agreed to accompany me." "No, Taka. I should go now. I'm sorry," she said. "Okay. Well, goodbye then," he said, hugging her. She felt…happy for the first time in a long time. She hugged back. "Thank you for everything, Yue." "You're welcome," she said smiling. "Goodbye, Taka." "Goodbye." After their tearful parting, she headed off back towards the mountains. As he headed towards his house, the guys from before stopped him again. They noticed how the woman had already left him, so this was their chance. "Oh, it looks like you don't have your little waterbender protector anymore," they said. "Oh, come on, guys. Really?" he replied. "Yeah, really. You still owe us," the leader said pulling out a knife from his pocket. "Hold him," he ordered the rest. "Come on, guys." "Don't worry, this is only gonna hurt a lot. Hahahaha." "Aaaaarrrggghhhh," he screamed in pain. It was loud enough for Yue to hear it and made her turn around. "Taka?" she said, worried. She quickly ran back. He struggled as much as he could, kicking and punching them, and finally broke free. He quickly ran towards his house, went inside, and locked the door. They furiously knocked on it. "Come on, punk. Open up!" they yelled. "That's it, break the door down!" he ordered. But before they could do it, they were swept away by a huge water wave, carrying them to an alleyway. Taka opened his door to see what happened, but there was nothing. Only a few splashes of water here and there, but there were no real signs. As they try to regain themselves, they saw someone standing at the entrance. It was Yue. "I told you, didn't I?" she said, "I told you to leave that man alone, now I'm gonna kick your ass." "Oh yeah?! Get her, guy- Argh!" he couldn't finish his sentence. Suddenly they found themselves unable to move. Their bodies started stuttering and shaking. "Wha-what's g-going…on?" they asked. "Don't you know not to threaten a waterbender during a full moon?" she said, smiling ominously. Indeed, there was a full moon during that night. So there was no doubt about it, she was a bloodbender. It wasn't long before she started levitating them off the ground. "Now, I'm done asking nicely. You will not bother this man anymore. But I know you won't listen. People like you never listen. You're too stubborn. So I'm afraid this is the end of the line for you," she said sternly. She pulled the leader forward to her while bending the water to envelop his body. Doing a closing motion with her palm, she crushed him. "Aaarrrggghhhhhhh!" he screamed in pain, his last scream. Blood drips down, mixing its red color with the water as it reflects the full moon from above. Taka could hear the scream from his house, but was reluctant to go out. The others could do nothing but watch in horror as their boss as crushed in front of them. She smiled a bit. After that, she dropped him to the ground, lifeless. "So, do the rest of you get the picture, or who's next?" she asked. "Ye-yes. We-we…get it," they stuttered, trying to fight the pain. "No, I don't think so. He has it hard enough without people like you bothering him," she said, "goodbye." She started to twist their bodies and contort them. The sound of their bones breaking filled the surrounding air. Their screams were short-lived as they quickly died from the sheer fright alone, but also from the trauma. She dropped them after that. Blood was everywhere at this point. She shook her head, "What a waste." She motioned her hand again, bending the water and the blood, enveloping the bodies to carry them, and levitated them all out to the ocean, above it, before dropping them. They disappeared into its mysterious depths. "Good riddance," she remarked, wiping her hands. "Hello?" Suddenly, Taka appeared, fearing that someone could be in trouble, and came to help. "Oh. Hey, Taka," she greeted him with a smile. "Yue? What happened? I heard screams and…" he asked. "Oh, it was nothing. But I think that those guys won't be bothering you anymore," she explained. "Uhh, what happened?" he asked, worried. "Nothing. We just had a little…talk," she replied. "I heard that they were bothering you again, so I came to help. We had a little fight, but it was no big deal. We did come to an agreement, though. They won't be bothering you anymore. Trust me," she said. " He gave her a strange look, but shook it off. "Okay. Thanks," he said with a smile. She hugged him and said, "No problem. Well, I should go now. Goodbye, Taka." She walked away and was heading back until she stopped suddenly. She had a worried look on her face. "You know what? Maybe I will stay the night. That is if you have an extra bed or couch lying around." "Really? I mean yeah, of course. Come on, let's go," he was happy. They both went back inside his house. He locked the door as she looked around. The first floor had the dining table in the middle with a kitchen on the left side. A single light fixture hanged above and the stairs leading upstairs to the bedroom was at the end. It wasn't much, but it was enough. The table with the radio stood just in front of the stair wall. It was still talking about the Avatar's disappearance. "Turn it off, please," she said, uneasy about it. "Oh, sorry," he turned off the radio, "anyway, do you wanna eat anything? I can make…something." "Sure, that would be nice," she answered. He rummaged through his pantries, but found nothing except some soup. "Ohhhh, I forgot. I actually only have soup at the moment. Because of my little trouble earlier I didn't get to work and get…food. Sorry." "Haha, that's okay. Soup is fine." After finishing, she said her thanks and asked if she could go to sleep early. Confused, he asked, "Really?" "I just need to sleep. After everything today," she said. "Okay. I'll be up shortly. Good night," he replied. "Good night." She climbed up the stairs and disappeared from sight. He picked up her bowl and spoon and washed it in the sink. After that, he turned off the light and headed upstairs too. He saw that Yue had already went to sleep, facing away from the stairs. She hanged her snow jacket on the hanger. "I guess you're really tired from saving my ass all the time," he smiled, "I'm sorry for troubling you. I should really learn to handle my own problems." Unbeknownst to him, Yue was actually awake for that and heard it. She felt…strange. She didn't mind helping him. He turned off the light there, took off his jacket, and fell on the bed. He too was tired.


	3. Chapter 3: An Unlikely Friend

It was midnight, or was it already past midnight? Anyway, the full moon could still be seen in the night sky, bathing the town in its bright and alluring light. Taka was fast asleep, comfortably, and so was Yue. But all of a sudden, her eyes opened, glowing bright blue. She sat up on the bed slowly, like she was hypnotized. The glow disappeared soon after and her eyes turned back to normal. She turned to look at Taka for a moment, fast asleep, before getting up. She grabbed her jacket, put it on, and slowly and quietly went down the stairs and out the door. And she was off.

As morning came and as the sun was about to rise, she returned from her mysterious excursion late last night to the house and resumed her sleeping. As the sun rose, coming out of the horizon, its light bathed the house and shined through the window. It hit his face and he woke up, a little surprised from the sudden brightness. He usually sleeps on the other bed, but since it was already taken, he settled for this one. It wasn't the first time, but he still wasn't prepared for the light in his face. "Aaarrgghh," he groaned. "It's morning already," he yawned. As she was out all night, she was still sleeping soundly when he saw her. And of course, he just had to wake her, stretching over from his side to hers, shaking her. "Yue, wake up," he said, still sleepy himself, "it's a beautiful day." She could only groan and mutter some unintelligible words from tiredness. "Yeah, you're right. It's not time to wake up yet," he said as he crawled back into bed. Not before closing the curtain though. Then he looked at the clock to realize that it was still only ten past five in the morning. "Yeah, definitely not time to wake up yet," he said laying his head on the soft, white pillow. And off to dreamland they went. It wasn't until noon midday that he woke up again. The clock read half-past twelve. "Aww, crap," he exclaimed. He set aside his blanket and sat up. He saw that Yue had already woken up ahead of him, as the bed was empty and tidy. Suddenly he could hear a noise coming from downstairs. He got up and as he was walking towards the stairs, something sure smelled good. Still a bit sleepy, he hit the railing of the stairs. "Urgh," he exclaimed. "Dammit." He went around it and climbed down the steps. To his surprise, the dining table was set with food and Yue had just finished preparing the silverware and sat down. "Hey, sleepyhead," she said to him, "ready for breakfast?" She then proceeded to sip a warm cup of tea. It was still cold outside, even with the sun shining. "What's all this?" he said reaching the bottom of the stairs. "I don't know," she replied, "I just wanted to do something nice for you." "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, this all looks good," he said sitting down the chair, "but I haven't really done anything for you. Why would you do this?" Indeed, the food looks amazing. Eggs, sunny side up, fish with rice and salad. And of course, a nice, warm cup of tea for the drink. "But you have done something," she said sincerely, smiling, "you talked with me…and allowed, ASKED me to stay the night at your house. Thank you for that." He smiled back and said, "Well, you're welcome. So, did you cook these?" "Yeah. I woke up a little earlier and saw you were still sleeping. So I went down to the market and got some groceries. I think you'll find your pantries to be not empty anymore," she explained. "You really didn't have to do that." "I know. But I wanted to. It was the least I could do. Well, let's eat." They both made a gesture and bowed at each other.

It took them about 15 minutes to finish. And it was delicious. There were still some left, they couldn't finish all of it. "Yue…that was really good," he complimented. "You're a really good cook." "Haha, thank you," she replied, "well, living on your own, you kinda have to learn a few things to survive." His smile started to fade. "I'm guessing you don't talk or hang-out with people much, huh?" he asked. "Not really, no. In fact, you're the first one in a long time." "How long have you been living alone?" "About a year or so. You kinda get used to it after a while." She seemed somewhat uneasy about saying that. Her smile disappeared too, holding her teacup. She then took a few sips again. "Did you lose your parents too?" he asked her. A tear then rolled down both her cheeks, "I guess you could say that." Even though she might deny it, it was obvious to him that she was crying. The tears were as clear as day. "I'm sorry," he said touching her hand. She stared out of the front window, still crying. The view wasn't bad, wasn't bad at all. Even from this floor, you could still see the ocean from that window and the sun on the horizon. It was mostly the reason that Taka chose this house, for that view. She finished her tea and placed it back on the table before wiping her tears away. She pulled her hand away from his. "Well, at least you're doing okay…with work, I mean. Whatever it is you do. You must be what with being able to afford all that stuff you bought," he said half-jokingly. "All I do is fish, and trust me, during this season, that's not a very good job. Haha." She joins him in the laughter and smiled, wanting to forget the sadness…the past. "Speaking of jobs, I should really get back to mine soon. Can't afford to miss another one,' he said. "Really though, thanks for all this." "No problem. In fact, I'll come with you," she said gleefully. "Come with me where?" he asked, confused. "To your job." "You wanna come with me to work?" "Well, here you call work, but back home, we call it a Tuesday," she explained. "Really, you don't have to," he said again, "plus, what about your job? Don't you have to get back to it? Whatever it is you do." "I do my work mostly at night, so I've still got time to help you during the day. Plus, like what you said before. This season, the fish aren't really biting, so looks like you need all the help you can get. I AM a waterbender, you know?" she elaborated. He stared at the wall, wondering, couldn't believe that this girl, this beautiful girl, would do all this for him. He turned to her and looked at her and remembered what she said to him. How would he feel? "Alright, you can come," he said with a smile. "Alright, let's go," she said getting up. She grabbed her jacket and headed out. He chuckled, feeling real happiness for the first time in a long time. He grabbed all the plates and leftovers and chucked them in the sink before grabbing his jacket. She suddenly opened the door, "Uhh, Taka. There's someone here to see you." "What?" he said putting on his jacket. _Who'd wanna see me at thi—Oh... _he thought to himself. He rushed to the entryway to see his best and only friend in this entire town. "Masaru, haha. What're you doing here?" he asked him. He was a tall man, a little bit higher than Taka, but quite skinny, wearing a bright white jacket with grayish shirt underneath and long, dark green cargo pants. He was also wearing a red scarf around his neck. "Ummm, we were gonna go work…our job?" he explained, "two days ago you said to meet at your house before we head down to the harbor? But I can see that you already have other plans of your own." "Oh, right. Sorry, dude. I uhhh, I forgot," he apologized. Yue just stood there smiling, feeling awkward. "I'm really sorry. Yesterday was a…quite busy for me." "Yeah, I can see that," he said looking at Yue, "so are you gonna introduce me to your friend, Taka?" "Oh, right. Masaru, this is Yue. Yue, this is my best friend Masaru." "Hi, nice to meet you," she greeted him. "Oh trust me, the pleasure's all mine," he said, smiling awkwardly. So Taka explained to Yue that he was actually supposed to go with his friend today. Since the season made it harder to get fish, they were gonna do it together. "Oh, that's okay," she understood, "you guys can go-" "Oh, no no! It's okay, you guys can go," Masaru interrupted her. "Taka, I really understand." "But-" she said. "No no, you guys have fun. I'm gonna go now. See you tonight, man," he farewelled them both. "Uhm, o-kay," Taka said, confused. "Well, let's…go, I guess." She grabbed his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Taka." He shook his head, "It's okay. I've known Masaru awhile and he actually seemed cool with it…surprisingly." "Alright, then," she patted him on the back, "let's go." The air was quite chilly, even with the sun on the horizon. She was amazed that he didn't cover himself fully. "I can't believe what you're wearing. Aren't you cold?" she asked him. "Not really. I'm used to it. Been living here all my life, sooo…" When he said that, she could only smile. It was cute. Something about him was…different. She didn't really know why she could trust him or would wanna help him so much. Maybe because they had similar circumstances in their lives, or maybe it was just because she was feeling lonely. Whatever the reason was, it was nice having someone around again. That comment actually reminded her of home, back at the Southern Water Tribe. It was way colder there. Literally snow as far as the eye could see. Back there, you'd have to get used to the cold. But the ground felt strange though. She's so used to stepping on snow, even here from living on the mountains. She looked at her feet. These hard, solid stone steps feel just weird. You didn't have to struggle a bit to move. You could just go. After a while, it started to tilt downwards a bit. Now that actually felt familiar to her. It was like going down the mountain to get supplies. It wasn't long before they could see the harbor. Actually, you could kinda see it from his house, but not too clearly. The docks weren't too big, even though it's the main way in and out of town. It was a small town after all. There were only two big ships and one small one in dock, plus his own. The other small one belonged to Masaru, Taka's best friend, though he wasn't working that day. The transition from the stone road to the wooden platforms also reminded her of home. The wooden docks at the Southern Water Tribe were very similar if not the same. It stretched from end to end, which wasn't really that long. There were only six docking platforms, and beyond that was the beach. You could jump off or step off the platform and step on the sand or wade through the shallow water. Sometimes there'd be some fishes there, but fishermen don't usually catch those ones, as little kids would like to come down and play or swim with them. There weren't any people down right now, as the water would be too cold to swim. Even if there were, they would just be walking along the glistening yellow sands admiring the view of the far islands, whether it'd be small or big. "So, where's your boat?" she asked. "She is right there," he said pointing to the rightmost platform. As they head for it, she remarked how the ship is beautiful. It wasn't as big as Southern Water Tribe ships, but it was still good. At least for fishing, it was enough. "Yep, she's my baby. Of course, she's not as beautiful as you," he said flirting. "Awww, thank you," she blushed a little. It was a pretty small boat, wooden, but sturdy. It has all the equipments you need for fishing, nets on each side, hooks, lines, rope, and some food for when they would be waiting and got hungry. The mast had only one sail, but it could get you where you need to go. It was a very simple design, but it worked. She stepped in first while he untied the rope from the platform and sat down on the long wooden bench connected to the side of the boat, laying both her arms on the side. He quickly jumped in and threw the rope on the floor before raising the small anchor up. "Alright, time to untie the sail, though I don't think they'd be much help. The winds aren't really that fast", he explained. They started moving slowly. He arranged the nets on each side of the boat as soon as they exited shallow waters. "(Sigh) The wind's not picking up is it?" he said. "Well, you never know," she said, looking auspicious. "Well, are you feeling this?" he said. Though she was immediately proven right as wind speed quickly picked up. "Whoa!" they both yelled out. "Haha, see?" she said smiling. He looked up in surprise, "Well, that was weird." "Not really, the winds can be pretty unpredictable during this season," she explained. "Well, I guess you were right about it." She just smiled and shook her head.


	4. Chapter 4: The Winter Air

It wasn't long before land became far away behind them. After a while, they started to slow down. "Oh, great," he said sarcastically. "Oh, come on, don't go yet." He slammed on the side of the mast. They waited a few more minutes for the wind to come back, maybe. Afterwards, he took a look at the nets. "How many did you catch?" she stood up to look. As he suspected, there weren't many inside, only a small few. He exhaled and took them out. As the fish flopped around the deck, he put the nets back in. "As if it's gonna catch anything," he said quietly. "Hey, it'll be fine," she heard him, putting her arms around his. "Come on, let's just sit down and enjoy the moment." They both sat down on the bench and just relaxed for a moment. There was still a small breeze going, even though not enough to push the sail, it was enough to make things cool. "So what made you become a fisherman?" she inquired. His smile faded away at that moment. The question brought back those memories again. "Oh, I'm sorry, is it personal?" she noticed. "My parents were fishermen…and they taught me everything," he explained, "we used to do it together all the time… Just us and the wide, blue sea." She felt regret over asking that question, "I am so sorry, Taka. I didn't know. I didn't mean…" "No, nothing to be sorry about. It reminded me of them…those days," he said, staring at the ocean. "It was nice. So to answer your question, it was basically my life." "You really don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said. He looked at her and smiled again, "No, it's okay. I've learned that it's better to let it out than keep it in." She smiled at him sincerely. "So what about you? I still don't know what you do." "Who, me? Well, my work usually involves finding and collecting very rare…items," she explained, "for my boss." "And here I thought you work alone," he said. "No, I have a boss…unfortunately." Spending time together, they both felt happy…for the first time in a long time it would seem. Just the two of them, out here in the middle of the ocean with no one around. It was quiet, peaceful. He looked up to the sky and embraced the moment as long as he could. It was just like the old days, with his parents. But now I have someone else to share it with/em, he thought. She was also enjoying the moment. Or rather, she was enjoying a moment that she could share with someone else. Someone she could trust and talk and hangout with. She couldn't believe that it had been a year since she had done something like this…having fun with someone. She looked at him having a good time, accepting the past and moving on. Then her smile faded. The memories of what she had done over the past year came back to haunt her. In her line of work, there was no room for others. She had to be alone. Though being alone wasn't all that unfamiliar to her either. Growing up back in the Southern Water Tribe was a pretty lonely experience for her. She didn't have any siblings nor a lot of friends cause her parents didn't allow her to talk to anyone. They said it was for her safety, but it only succeeded in making her feel alone. Hanging out with Taka was nice. She couldn't stay away from him, this guy. She liked it, the connection. That feeling of connection with other people that she'd forgotten from living alone. She couldn't help but contemplate, even though she should just forget about it for the moment and be happy. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, worried. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a smile, "it's like you said, right? We have to accept the past and try to move on." "Haha, that's right. It's hard. Trust me, I know. But I think it'll be worth it," he said, feeling optimistic. _He's right_, she thought to herself. He had also been through a very tough time, but he found a way to live his life anyway. He didn't just wallow in the past. "Hey, it'll be okay," he smiled at her. She smiled back before they both went closer to each other. They were gonna kiss, but he stopped. "I'm sorry," she said. "No, it's okay," he said. He looked at her again, so beautiful. "It's just…I don't know." Then out of nowhere, she hugged him, "It's okay, I understand." They smiled at each other again. "Uhh, we need to get moving. Where's the wind?" he asked, a bit frustrated. "Don't worry, it'll come," she said optimistically. "Yeah, how do you kn-" At that moment, the wind speed picked up again and they were moving again. "Whoa. What in heaven's name is going on?" he was confused. She laughed, "Haha, I told you it's unpredictable." It wasn't long before they were moving fast, going and turning. Just trying to enjoy the moment, he lifted his arms wide and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Woooooooo hooooooooo!" She was happy that he was happy. _At least I CAN still make someone happy_, she thought. And then she joined beside him and they screamed out together. "Hahahaha," they shared a laugh together. Then they could start to see big rock formations around them. One was to their left, covered in vines and grass at the top. Perhaps these were part of an island or islands. Indeed there was a small beach behind it. The wind slowed down again, but they were still moving. "If we can see these, we may have gone too far," he stated. On the distance, they could see an abundance of lights. "What's that?" she asked. "Huh, that must be Republic City," he said. "We HAVE gone too far." Her face suddenly turned to shock. "Yeah, I think you're right. We've gone too far," she said nervously, "let's turn back." She quickly ran to the mast and tried to retract the sail. "Whoa, whoa. Calm down. What's wrong?" The wind stopped again suddenly. Calming down, "Nothing. I just…I just don't wanna stray too far is all." "Alright, we won't. The wind stopped again anyway, so we're not going anywhere," he explained. She did seem a bit stressed out all of a sudden. She sat down and tried to regain her composure. "Hey, are you okay?" He was obviously worried. She only kept saying that she was fine and it was nothing to worry about. He knew that something was wrong, but he didn't wanna pry too much. He figured that he'd stay back and wait until she was ready to tell him herself. "Hey, you wanna go to that beach over there?" he asked her. "It'll be fun. Once the wind comes back…" She liked that idea. "Yeah, let's go," she said, regaining her composure. The wind picked back up again. He quickly ran to the steer to turn the boat towards the beach and they headed for it. Before they reached the shallow waters, he picked up the nets again and dropped however many fish it managed to catch to the deck. He then stowed the nets away and collected all the fish and put them inside a brown sack. As they approached the beach, Yue took off her snow jacket, her shirt, and her pants and jumped off the side for a little swim. "Wooooo," she screamed as she headed for the water. She made quite a big splash and it hit Taka on his side. "Hey, haha, " he laughed. Then suddenly, she launched herself up to the air by bending the water before falling back down. He just laughed as he shook his head. Having risen back to the surface, she asked him to come join her. "Come on, Taka! The water's good!" she yelled. "Alright! Hold on!" he replied. He went back to the mast to secure the sail and tie it back up. Finally, he threw the anchor down towards the side to secure the boat. "There we go," he said.

As he took off his jacket, he saw Yue walking up to the beach from the water. She was only wearing her light-blue sleeveless undershirt, which covers the upper-part of her body, above the stomach, and extends over her shoulders to her front and back, and light-blue short swimming pants with cloth-like covers covering the front and back. He couldn't stop looking at her, still dripping wet from her swim, as she brushes her hair. He still couldn't believe that this beautiful, dark-skinned girl was with him and wanted to spend time with him. She caught him looking at her and blushed. "What?" she shook it off. "Haha, nothing," he replied, "aren't you cold?" She could only laugh before saying, "Taka, I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. Literally snow everywhere. And the temperature…if you think this is cold, you won't last 2 seconds in the South Pole," she explained, "plus the sun's still shining." She was right. Although it already started to lower, the sun was still shining bright, radiating its warmth. It was a weird combination of hot and cold. The air was chilly, especially if the wind was rushing, but the sun kinda balances it out. That's why there's little to no snow in the town, only in the mountains. He took off his jacket and his pants into his swim shorts and hopped out of the boat into the sand. The sand felt different here from the docks, it was smoother. They met up halfway. "What're you doing? Take off your shirt and let's go," she said. "I don't know, it's pretty chilly. The water's probably freezing." "So much for being used to the cold. Besides I just got out of the water, it's not that cold," she told him. "Yeah, for you. I don't usually go swimming in the Winter. I'm used to the cold on the ground, with clothes on, but in the water…mmm, not so sure," he explained. "Fine, I'll just go swim by myself," she taunted him, turning her back and crossing her arms. Well, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. "Ummm, I don't know…" he said confused, scratching his head. She turned back to look at him. He was looking confused and a bit stressed with this. It was weird for him. Usually it's very simple. I wanna do it or I don't wanna do it. "Hey," she said, touching the side of his face, "it'll be fun." She smiled, "Just try it first. If it is too cold for you, then you don't have to continue." He smiled back, but with a hint of nervousness. "Alright, fine," he agreed, almost reluctantly. "Great," she said. He took off his shirt, threw it down, and went down to the water. He took a deep breath and put his feet in first. Oh, he was surprised as it was cold. Though it wasn't as cold as he expected. As he was slowly getting accustomed to the temperature, Yue quickly ran from the sand to the water, surfing across the shallow parts using her waterbending before raising the water and diving down. "Whoooooo!" she screamed out again. The splash hit him again and he jumped. It wasn't really the cold that made him do it so much as the surprise of getting hit by the cold water without being prepared. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed. "Sorry!" she apologized. "It's alright," he waved, "well, I guess I'm ready now." He waded deeper and deeper until the water reached his stomach. "Ohhh," he screeched. He took another deep breath and "fuck it," he said, "I'm just gonna jump in!" With that thought, and just one of those sudden moments where you don't think, he dove in. He embraced the cold for a few moments before surfacing. "Woooo!" he screamed, "alright!" "Huh, I told you," she swam to him. "Yeah, yeah," he said. He swam back, doing a backstroke, just enjoying the moment. After a while, he decided to stop and just float, let the water do the work. The feel of the water was actually pretty good and the feel of the wave rocking up and down was kinda soothing. Just laying with your back to the water and staring up to the sky, watching the clouds go by. Not a care in the world. It felt good to let all your worries and stress just fade away, even if it was only for a few minutes. Suddenly, he was hit with a splash of water. "Hey," he shouted. He looked to see her bending the water around her. "That's real nice. Yeah, how old are you? 9?" he said. She then smiled at him with bad intent. "Oh, no. Don't you dare…" he said, pointing his finger at her. "Oh, I think yes," she devilishly said. She motioned her arms and hands upwards, raising the water level, and slammed it down towards him. "Aaarrrgghhhh!" he screamed as the wave hit him. "Hahaha," she laughed. She could see his silhouette swimming up. He gasped for breath as he reached the surface. "Was that really necessary?!" he yelled at her. "Yeah, it was," she said all cocky. He chuckled and headed back to shore. She walked closer to help him. It was getting deeper. He reached a part where he could already walk, but was still quite deep, about chest level. She extended her arm to him, but as soon as he grabbed it, he pulled her down to the water. "Hey!" she screamed. Splash! "Now we're even," he said. "I don't think so." She waterbend the water in front of him and pulled him back. "Oh, come on!" He ran back, but was caught by it. As he was falling, he tried to head for her, trying to hold on. He did and grabbed her, sending them both away. "Woooooo!" they both shouted. They hugged each other underwater, moving in a circle around and around. Their foreheads touched each other. Then they separated and swam back up. "That was…weird," he said, awkward. "Why?" she asked. "I don't know." They both looked away from each other for a moment. Then she punched him softly on the shoulder, trying to break the awkwardness. "See, I told you this would be fun." "Haha. Yeah, you were right." After that, they swam a little bit for a few more moments before going back to shore. It was starting to get darker, so they have to head back to town soon. The sound of the waves hitting the shore always brings about a certain soothing feeling. The sound was broken by them walking back, breaking the surface of the water as they do so. They collapsed on the beach back first, tired and breathing a bit quickly. "That was awesome," he said. "Yeah," she concurred. "Hey," he said. "Yeah?" "Thanks for coming with me" "You're very welcome," she smiled, turning to him. They got up, propping themselves on their elbows before sitting up. "Today was a nice day," she said, "Maybe I should be the one thanking you. I actually had fun." "Well, day's not over yet." "It is for me, I gotta go work soon, so we should head back," she explained. "Alright," he understood. "Just a few more minutes of rest." She just smiled and shook her head. Watching the sun going down was worth it, the sky turning reddish. Remember to enjoy the moment. "Okay, I really gotta go. Come on, come on, come on, come on," she patted him continuously. "Alright," he said, a bit annoyed, but chuckling. They got up, he grabbed his shirt, and they walked to the boat.


	5. Chapter 5: Hope or Something Like It

His shirt had so much sand sticking to it and he tried to wipe them off as much as he could. "So are we gonna talk about what happened back there? When we were underwater," she asked him. "Do we have to?" he said, "it was no big de-" As he was saying that, Yue quickly grabbed his shoulder, turned him around and kissed him on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she around his neck. She stopped, "I'm sorry," she said. He only looked at her, couldn't believe what just happened. "It's okay," he said. He wasn't really sure what to say or do. He smiled, but it felt weird. It felt good. "We should really go. It's getting cold" she said. "Yeah," he said, confused. With that, they went back to the boat. She used her waterbending to get it out of the shallow waters and facing the right direction. He untied the sails and let it loose. The wind now was going pretty strong to push the sails and they headed back. She dried herself up as much as she could, using her waterbending to remove the water from herself, and put her clothes back on. Taka was just using a towel, so it took a bit longer. After he put his clothes back on, he went to check on her. She was leaning on the side of boat, looking at her reflection in the water. It wasn't too clear, but she didn't really care. He grabbed her shoulder, "Hey, you didn't do anything wrong back there, you know." She only chuckled. She was thinking about what she had to do soon. Her job is pretty…stressful, to say the least. But she's handled it before, so this one shouldn't be different. She just does what she needs to do and move on. Who knew collecting stuff would be so stressful. Well, the items she collects are rare, so I guess it would be. "Are you okay? You seem…I don't know, stressed," he said. A tear went down her cheek. She suddenly hugged him. He stood there, even more confused. "Taka, do you like me?" she asked. "Of course I do. Very much," he said to her. "Even if I do something bad or if I'm a bad person?" "You're not a bad person, you hear me? Now, uhmm, I gotta make sure we don't get lost, so if you'll excuse me for a bit." he said before heading to the steer. Somehow she still didn't feel good about what she had to do. After a while they eventually reached the docks. He put the boat back next to the platform and threw the anchor down. He got out first to tie the boat to the dock. Afterwards she stepped out too and they both walked back together. It was nearly dark, the sun was just about to dip below the horizon. "Can you wait here a minute?" he said running off. "O-kay," she said. She waited for him as he went off somewhere. She propped herself on the railing overlooking the docks. After a few minutes, he returned to her with a surprise, hiding his hands behind his back "Hey," he said. She turned around, "Hey. Where did you go?" "I went to get you something," he said revealing what he had in his hands. It was a small necklace with a crystal clear, tear-shaped light-blue pendant. "I wanted to get you something as a gift…and I know you're from the water tribe, so I thought this would fit," he explained. She couldn't stop looking at it. She felt happy again, even if that happiness would be broken soon. It was beautiful, but mostly because he bought it for her. "It's beautiful," she said tearing up. "Here, let me put it on." He put his hands around her neck and to the back to lock it. She grabbed his arms and lowered them slowly. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "Because I like you, and I care about you," he answered. "You shouldn't," she said quietly. "Why not? You're an amazing person," he heard her, "hey, listen. Whatever it is that's worrying you, what you did or what you're gonna do, we always have a choice." She walked away from him a few feet. "Not me…I don't have a choice," she said. "Bullshit. Everyone has a choice." "Maybe, but mine was taken from me, mine was made for me when I was born." She held the pendant, rubbing it. "Why? How do you know?" he challenged her to change her beliefs about that. She started to cry, "Because I'm the Avatar," she said softly. "Sorry, what did you say?" he couldn't hear her. Avatar Korra forced herself to stop crying before turning around to face him. She was glad that he didn't hear that, not wanting him to know that she was the Avatar. She had made it very clear, even lying to him about her name. Indeed, Korra felt very badly about that, she really wanted to tell him the truth, but she thought it was for the best that he didn't know. Especially because she knew what was about to come. It would've been better if they had never met at all, but it was too late. It already happened, and she couldn't stop or get rid of the feelings she had for him. _Why now?_, she wondered. _Why now when it's so close?_ "Nothing," she said to him, "I hope you're right about that." "I don't know if that's right or not, but I believe in that," he said walking towards her. She moved towards his face, going for another kiss. She really wanted to believe that…but how could she? Knowing what she knew. But a small part of her kept holding on to that, because of him. "I really have to go now," she said. "Alright. So I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked. "Sure," she said as she was walking, unsure of whether she could keep that promise. She immediately ran back towards the mountain. He was sad to see her go, but work is work. He walked back to his house, alone, but also quite happy. As soon as Taka was out-of-sight, she used her airbending and earthbending to quickly get up the mountain. But she wasn't heading towards her cabin. No, she was headed somewhere else. When he reached the house, Masaru was waiting for him by the door. "Masaru? What're you doing here?" he questioned him. "I'm here so you can tell me what happened on your date!" he was excited. "Oh my Spirits. Come on." He unlocked the door and they both went in.

He turned on the lights and they sat down on at the dining table. "Sooo, how'd it go?" he asked raising his eyebrows. "It wasn't a date," he asserted, though the smile kinda gave it away a little. Of course, naturally, he didn't believe him. "Come on, dude." "Nothing happened. It was work, we sailed around and got some fish," he explained. "Then we, uhhh…sorta stopped at a nearby beach and hung-out there for a while." "Hung-out?" "We went swimming for a bit, okay?" A surprised expression went over his face. "It was no big deal, it was just a swim. But it wasn't a date. She's a waterbender, so…" "She's a waterbender?" he asked, surprised. "Yeah, so? I thought the water tribe clothes kinda gave it away?" "Okay, you got me there. But sounds like you two had fun. I'm happy for you, man," he said. "Thanks. We uhhh…we also sorta kissed," he continued, "twice." Masaru could only sit there, not believing every miracle that kept happening to his friend. "Today was a great day, but it was also a little weird," he said. "I really don't see ANYTHING weird about your day," he said, a little jealous. "Well, you weren't there. This girl is amazing. She's pretty, strong, independent, I'm sure she's smart too. But there was also something else. Something was stressing her or worrying her. She had this look as we were heading back and just before she left," he explained. "Well, maybe she was just surprised by today as you were," his friend tried to answer. "Maybe…" he said unsure. Of course Taka still didn't know at that time that that girl was the Avatar, who disappeared about a year ago. But even if he'd known, that sorta raises more questions than answers. What was she doing in this town? Why did she disappear a year ago? And where has she been and what has she been doing since then? Eventually, the sun disappeared below the horizon and the night took over the sky again. "You're serious about this?" his friend asked him. "Well, yeah. I mean, everything was fine, she was laughing, I was laughing, we were enjoying ourselves," he explained, "it wasn't until we started heading back that she became…worried. She looked almost scared." "Shit. Any idea what might've caused it?" "I'm not sure. If I had to guess, I'd say it's something to with her work. She said that she usually works at night and that she had to work soon." "What does she do?" "She said that she finds and collects rare items. Whatever that means," he said confused. "I guess I'll have to figure it out tomorrow. Sorry, man, but I'm a little tired after today." "I understand. I can stick around for the night if you want. You look like you could use the company." "Haha, yeah, sure. Why not?" "We'll figure it out, man," he tried to comfort him. He nodded to him, still worried. After that, he turned off the light and they headed upstairs. He quickly took off his jacket and pants and jumped on the first bed, tired, but also because he didn't wanna sleep on the one near the window again. "Sorry, man. I'm sleeping here tonight," he said with a grin. He chuckled, "Still hate the sun in the morning, I see." "Yes, good night." "Uhhh, why don't you just close the curtains?" he asked half-mockingly. "Cause shut up, that's why," he said obviously sleepy. His friend could only laugh, he knows him too well. He took off his jacket and laid it down on the floor in front of the bed. He sat down and looked to his friend, almost asleep. "Hey, stop worrying, alright?" he said, "I'm sure everything's fine." Taka didn't answer, pretending to be asleep. But of course he wasn't. He was worried. He could remember her face and see it. She looked really worried and scared. It wasn't your usual fear though. No, it was something else. He kept thinking about it in his mind, but couldn't really figure it out. _Maybe Masaru's right_, he thought, _maybe I'm just worrying too much_. He tried to stop thinking about it and just rest. Masaru then lied down too, preparing to go to dreamland. But as they were both about to go to sleep, suddenly there was a huge explosion that shook the town and the entire room. They got up immediately and looked out the window. There were no significant damage and everyone was unharmed, though a few people got out of their houses to see what happened. There was a rumble in the distance. The explosion came from the factory above the town, to the far right of his house. It was a huge iron ore and coal refinery lying on a raised part of the land, close to the mountain, therefore a bit separated from the town. It was raised quite high above. The workers there are mostly earthbenders and firebenders. A big cloud of smoke was coming from it and it wasn't long before they could hear the sound of the alarm. "What the hell's going on over there?" Masaru asked. "I don't know, but we should check it out," Taka said. "Whoa, are you crazy? Why do we have to check it out?" he stressed. "Because we have to try to help if we can." He looked at his friend who might be going crazy. "But it's dangerous…no one else is doing that." "Exactly, no one else is," he said with a serious look. He put his jacket and pants back on and headed downstairs. Masaru grabbed his jacket and headed down too. "Taka, wait!" he said. "I know you're worried about her, but going headfirst into danger won't solve anything," he said putting on his jacket, "we don't even know what's going on nor do we know that she's there. What do you think you're gonna do?" "I don't know!" he shouted. His friend was surprised by his sudden outburst. Taka looked at his friend with seriousness and worry before calming down. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, okay?" he said half-crying, "I'm feeling really weird right now. I just feel like helping. I feel like I have to do this." Masaru still thought his friend was crazy, but he understood. "And you're right, Masaru. I don't know what I'm gonna do. But I wanna do what I can. We'll take it one step at a time." "We?" he asked raising his eyebrow. "You know I'm going regardless of what you say, and we both know you're not gonna let me do this alone," he said smiling. Masaru looked at him with a bit of contempt, knowing that his friend is right. "I hate you," he said quickly before opening the door and stepping out. Taka smiled a big smile before following his friend outside and locking the door. As soon as they left, they took the corner to the right and quickly ran towards the mountain. They didn't have to go high, just to follow the path that leads to the refinery. That part of the mountain wasn't too snowy. They immediately turned left when they saw the path. Taka actually turned before they reached it to get to it quicker. "Taka, just calm down. We're gonna get there, okay?" Masaru said to his friend. "I know, I know. I'm just…I don't know," he tried to explain. "It's alright, man. Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6: Desolation

In the refinery entrance, three other guards had just arrived, earthbenders. The entrance door was destroyed, almost ripped open. "What could do this?" one of them asked. "Metalbenders," the chief answered. "Let's go!" he ordered. They hastily ran in to help. As soon as they entered, they were greeted to a lot of bloody bodies of the other guards, dead. Scorch marks were present on the walls and ground, metallic objects and parts were laying across the floor, ripped from their hinges, and small boulders and rocks were everywhere. Obviously there was a fight, but the guards lost it. And from the scorch marks, the chief deduced that there were firebenders along with earthbenders. Suddenly they heard a loud bang in the deeper part of the factory, and a scream. "Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!" "Come on," the chief said. They went inside a small hallway and discovered more bodies inside. One of them was badly injured and bleeding, but was still alive. "Hey, you! What happened here?! Who's responsible for this?" the chief asked. The guard tried to answer, but couldn't muster up the words. He was too injured. "I…I don't…believe it," he muttered, "It…it was…" But before he could finish, he died of his wounds. The chief and his men bowed their head in respect for their dead friend before continuing. They eventually reached the smelting chamber, and on the walkway above the lava pit, they saw someone holding a guard over the railing. "Where is it?!" the person asked, screaming. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," the guard said, scared for his life. The person had already killed off his friends, as evident by the room being littered with bodies, such as the fate of this refinery tonight. The bodies weren't just guards, workers were killed too. "Where is it?!" the person continued asking the guard. "Hey!" the chief guard yelled to the intruder. The person looked at him. It was revealed to be a woman, although they couldn't make out who it was from that distance. "Put that man down!" he ordered her going into a stance with the others. "No, nooooo….!" the guard screamed as the woman plunged her hand into his chest. "Nooooooo!" the chief screamed for his friend. The woman then dropped his lifeless body down, as the chief earthbend the ground below to catch him. The woman then proceeded to run away, going further into the refinery through a hallway. The chief wanted to mourn for his friend, but there was no time, so he and his men quickly resumed their mission to catch the intruder. They used their earthbending to launch themselves up to the walkway to follow her. In the hallway, suddenly the walls in front of her closed off. The guards were right behind her. "We got you now," the chief said. The woman turned around and was revealed to be Avatar Korra. They couldn't recognize her at first, but it came to them eventually. "Avatar Korra?" he said in surprise. Especially after her disappearance, it was a surprise to see her here, breaking into the refinery and killing his men. He couldn't believe it. "Looks like you caught me," she said smiling ominously. Suddenly the guards found themselves unable to move. Their bodies were stuttering. She was bloodbending them. "Yo-you're a bloodbender?" he asked, confused. "Im-impossible. It's-not a full moon." "Normally that would be true for a regular waterbender, but I'm not, am I?" the Avatar explained, "I don't need a full moon." Her eyes were glowing light blue. She was using the avatar state to amplify her waterbending, enabling her to bloodbend without a full moon. Then she contorted and twisted their bodies like she did those men before and snapped them, instantly killing the guards. Then she dropped the bodies down and turned around to continue on her way. "I'm sorry, but you were in my way," she apologized before metalbending the metal blocking her path. She wounded into a room with a huge furnace at the end. There were tables all around with rocks and coal and iron sitting on them. On one of the tables, the one in front of her near the furnace was the item she had been seeking. She approached it. Suddenly, her eyes glowed blue again and it was like she was struck with a headache. "Yeah, I think I just did," she spoke suddenly. She looked at the table to see the object of her quest, a broken piece of rock or stone, lined with thin reddish lines or cracks that looked like a small lightning. It seemed to be a small part of something larger. Could this be the rare item that she's collecting? And who was she talking to? Could it be that she's just really crazy? "Of course, master," Korra said holding the stone in her hands, admiring it. She finally acquired the object she had been searching for. She looked at it with a hopeful expression on her face, hoping that this will be the end of her journey, her suffering. With that, she secured the piece inside a bag that she brought and hastily headed for an exit. Above the room to her right was another walkway with a door hopefully leading to an exit. She airbent her way up to the walkway and opened the door to find it leading to a wide storage area with an exit. "Yes," she said with excitement. She quickly ran for it, took out her glider, and flew out and up the mountain. As she did so, Taka and Masaru were just outside, seeing her glide off to both their surprise. "Taka, was that…her?" his friend asked. He stared at the place where she flew away, not believing what he saw. "Yeah, it was," he finally answered. "Taka, how did she just fly away?" "That was an airbender glider. She was airbending," he deduced. "But I thought you said she's a waterbender," Masaru asked confused. "She is," he said coming to realize what's going on. They quickly ran inside to check on what happened, only to find nothing but dead bodies, some bloodied, some distorted. Scorch marks pretty much painted most of the walls and earth and metal was just lying everywhere. Their expression turned to shock as they saw the horror that lay inside the refinery. To say it was a mess would be an understatement. Fires were ravaging some parts of the refinery and the smoke was still strong. He didn't really know what to think, but in his mind he knew that the only person who could bend more than one element is the Avatar. But in his heart, he just couldn't believe that the girl that hung-out with him and helped him so much could lie to him to his face, let alone kill all these innocent guards and workers. He was wracked with confusion and distress. Masaru could see that his friend was devastated and confused and so he suggested that they should just go back and try to figure it out there. Taka just nodded his head, unable to think clearly. "Let's go, man," Masaru said. "No. I have to find out, man. I'm gonna follow her." "How, dude? She flew away, up to the mountain. Even if we somehow could catch up to her…what're you gonna do?" "I don't know, but I have to try." After that, he immediately ran back out to follow her direction up the mountain. His friend could only raise his arms in confusion, but couldn't let his friend go alone, so he went with him too.


	7. Chapter 7: Revelation

As they climbed the mountainside, snow started to appear again everywhere. The color white was the only thing they could see anywhere. It was cold, but Taka didn't even budge. He was determined. Even after wind speed quickly picked up. After everything that's happened, he didn't really care about anything anymore. He just wanted to know the truth. Of course, his friend wasn't so determined, shivering and tired. But he knew his friend needed him and so there he was. They searched everywhere and kept searching. Eventually they could hear rustling sounds nearby and footsteps in the snow. They hid behind a tree to look. It was Korra. She didn't have her snow jacket on this time, as she didn't at the refinery, just her usual dark blue formal shirt. She looked around first to make sure there's no one, and then she earthbend a huge boulder in front of her, opening it to the side, revealing a cave-like structure. She went in and closed back the boulder behind her. "Come on, we need to find another way in," Taka said. "Uhmm, what's the plan here exactly?" he asked worried, "even if we do find a way in, if she really is the Avatar, then we don't really stand a chance now do we? I mean, did you see what she did to all those people back there?" "I don't know, okay?!" he yelled quietly. "But we gotta figure something out. Come on." Masaru sighed and continued to follow his friend. Taka went in front of the boulder and tried to earthbend like her, but only succeeded in making a fool out of himself. "What are you doing?" his friend asked, looking at him with a happy smile. "I have no idea." "Haha. Come on, there's gotta be another way in," Masaru said. "Oh, now you wanna help?" "Well, you're obviously dead set on accomplishing this crazy mission. And I'm not gonna leave you alone, so let's find another way." Taka smiled at his friend. "Come on, let's head to the side. Gotta be another opening around here," Masaru said assuming. Taka was actually quite tired and sat down on the snow. He figured that it's his friend's turn to do the work. Suddenly, Masaru came running back. "Taka, I think I found a way in," he said quietly, "come on." He got back up and followed his friend. They went a bit to the left of the entrance. There was a small opening, though they had to climb up some rocks to get to it. "There's a small opening up there. I think we can squeeze through," he explained. After seeing how small the opening was, Taka looked at his friend with a "what the hell" expression. "Really?" he said, "I don't think we can't fit through there." "We'll fit," he asserted, "we just gotta move some of these, urgh, rocks around." He rolled his eyes and started climbing up. "Do you see anything?" Taka asked. "Not really. I think we're actually gonna have to go in," Masaru replied, not really liking that idea. "Alright, I'm going in first," Taka said. He squeezed through and dropped down the other side. It wasn't a tall drop, but it still made a bit of stepping sound. "Shit," he exclaimed softly. "Masaru, I think you should just wait outside. I'm gonna try and move some of these rocks to make a platform, but I'm gonna need you to pull me out," he told him quietly. "Alright, hurry back," he replied. After moving what he could from the small pile there is, he continued onwards, getting deeper into the cave. It was a bit wet with water dripping down from the icy stalactites, and it was quite dark, he couldn't see very well. It wasn't very cold inside though since it burrows deep inside the mountain. The part he was in was a long tunnel, circular in shape.

Eventually he reached a large, open circular area with lots of stalagmites. The ceiling was pretty high, but you could still see the stalactites above dripping water constantly. Once he entered he could hear the sound of a waterfall. After a few steps forward, the path leads to a slope down to another area. It was also circular with a middle platform surrounded by water coming from the waterfall in front of it. Above that area was a big hole allowing the moonlight to shine in to that platform. As he walked towards the area, he saw Korra standing on it. He quietly approaches the area, hiding behind one of the stalagmites that lay just before the slope. Korra entered the avatar state and bended the water with her right hand, raising it up, bended fire with her left, and then she bended some earth behind her with her right leg, and airbended with her right arm to the front. She then combined and spun them around herself. It got faster and faster until it merged in front of her, hovering. She sat down cross-legged and put her hands together, her eyes still light blue. The elements were then covered in a sort of darkness, or maybe it transformed to it…and then what looked like two eyes appeared within that darkness. "Well?" a voice suddenly spoke to her. The voice had a deep, monster-like quality to its sound. It felt very dark. Taka was shocked to see what he saw. He was confused as to what was going on, but worried too. "I have it, master," the Avatar answered. She took out the rock from her bag and showed it to the voice. "Excellent, my young Avatar," the dark voice continued, "at last…the final piece. Bring it immediately." "With all due respect, master, I would like to request one more day here to enjoy myself. Will you allow it? Please," she asked. "Hmmm, you have done your job well, retrieving the final piece two days before the convergence. Very well!" he screamed, shaking the cave, "I am pleased, therefore I will grant you your wish. I will grant you one more day before we end it. But after, you WILL do what you were created to do, Avatar! This meeting is adjourned." The darkness and the voice disappeared after that, and the elements fell down and dispersed. Avatar Korra closed her eyes and lowered her head. She was happy that her master had allowed her one more day to spend with the one she loved. Tears flowed from her eyes again. _Why?_, she thought, _why is it during the last days that I start feeling like this? Why did I have to meet him at this time?_ But she knew it was too late, and all she wants to do now is to make the most of it with what time she has left. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. Taka was still hiding behind the stalagmite, trying to make sense of what just happened. He peeked again to see her standing up and about to walk back. As she had her hand in front of her eyes, wiping the tears away, he quickly walked quietly back towards the entrance. But as he did so, he stubbed his foot on one of the stalagmites and exclaimed, "Argh!" He quickly covered his mouth, realizing what he had just done. "Korra quickly looked up, hearing the echo. "Is somebody there?" she asked. "Shit!" he exclaimed softly. He then quickly entered the tunnel and started to run as fast as he could towards the entrance. Korra entered the avatar state again and bended the water to enter the tunnel, flooding it. He ran as fast as he could, but suddenly sharp rocks started to quickly protrude from the walls and ceiling and floor. He dodged them as best as he could, acquiring some minor scratches along the way, but managed to reach the exit. "Taka, what's going on?!" Masaru asked worried. "No time to explain! Just help me up!" he shouted. He climbed up as he saw the water rushing towards him. "Come on!" he screamed. Masaru extended his hand and grabbed his friend. While inside, he also saw the water rushing. "Oh, shit!" He quickly pulled his friend out with all his strength while Taka climbed out. As he did, Masaru could see the water flashing by with great speed, hitting the entrance boulder. They could feel the tremor as the boulder was nudged, releasing dust and small rocks to the air in front of it. "Whoa," they both yelled. Taka fell down, while Masaru was able to hold on. As he saw the water receding back, he tried to cover the hole as much as he could to leave no trace of them before jumping down to help his friend. "Ohhhhh," Taka moaned. "Taka, come on! We gotta go." He picked his friend up and they ran for it back down the mountain. As the water receded, Korra levitated and flew to the entrance by using her airbending, earthbending the sharp rocks away as she did so. But when she got there, no body was present. She earthbended the boulder to open it to check outside, but there was no one there either. If there was someone, he/she made it out and had already left. But the boulder wasn't moved, so they had another way of escaping the cave. She checked the outer rim of and near the entrance. She was just about to disregard it until she found a broken branch at a spot just below the hole. When Taka fell, he must've hit a tree branch and brought it down with him. She then looked up and looked at the recently covered hole. "Hmmm…" she thought to herself. She raised her right hand and earthbended the rocks away, revealing the hole. It was obvious that someone was here. She ran back to the entrance and went inside to see the stacked rocks below the hole. She deduced that the person used that to climb up to the hole and escaped. But it seemed impossible to do that alone, so that person must've had a friend. Still there was nothing she could do about it now. She went back outside and closed the entrance. She lowered her head and smiled. _It doesn't really matter now anyways_, she thought, _it's all gonna end soon_. With that, she started walking back to her cabin, presuming. The night wasn't young anymore.


	8. Chapter 8: Truth

They were running pretty fast, freaking out over what just happened. They were already near the bottom and eventually reached it, quickly running back to his house. He unlocked the door, they went in, and shut the door. Slam! Masaru quickly grabbed a glass, poured in some water, and sat down. He drank it hastily. They both were catching their breaths. "Taka, what the fuck just happened?!" Masaru scolded him. He was still catching his breath, "I have no idea." "Oh really?! Your girlfriend just tried to kill us! Taka, what happened in there?" he asked. He sat down on the chair in front of his friend and proceeded to explain what occurred inside the cave. "Holy spirits," Masaru spoke after hearing his friend. "What do you think that means? 'Before we end it'?" "I don't know," Taka replied. "Well, if it was coming from some dark spirit thing, I'm sure it doesn't mean anything good," his friend deduced standing up. "I can't believe you hung out with her all-day." "She wasn't like that when we hung out. She was different. Kind…caring," he looked down, remembering that day, "she's not a killer." He was still having trouble believing what he saw in the cave. That she's the Avatar and that she's working for some dark spirit. "So what's with all the killing and serving? I thought the Avatar was supposed to be a protector?" Masaru asked. Taka didn't answer, not knowing what to say. "So what do we do now?" "I don't know, okay. But you're not gonna leave me alone, are you?" Taka asked. Masaru chuckled, "Well I've followed your craziness this far," he said, "I guess I have to go through it all the way." "He smiled at his friend's answer. "You didn't really think I would abandon you? If you did then I guess we're not the best friends I thought we were." They both shared a laugh. "Alright, can we sleep first though?" Masaru asked. "Haha, yeah, let's go." Masaru went up the stairs first, taking off his jacket, and ran to his bed, quickly collapsing on it. "Ah, finally," he immediately slept. Taka smiled and chuckled at his friend. He deserved this rest after staying with him and helping him. He took off his jacket and threw it down. But before he rested, he went to the window and looked out into the horizon. He'd been through worse before. Or at least he thought. But he somehow never stopped believing. There's always a way. He then went to his bed and rested.

In the middle of the night, something happened. As he was sleeping, he dreamt about something reaching out to him…something ancient. "Taka…."the voice spoke, "Taka…" He was obviously struggling before waking up in a cold sweat, deep in breath. Putting his hand to his forehead, he wiped some of the sweat away. He looked out the window, to the ocean, and felt something beckoning him. But he thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. The following morning, Masaru awoke to an empty bed beside him. "Taka?" he said worried. He got up to check out the window before heading downstairs. "Oh spirits, what're you doing?" he asked after seeing him sitting there. "I've been awake for a while. Couldn't really sleep last night, so I woke up early," he replied, "she's gonna come here today. I don't know what to do." Masaru wanted to help his friend, but he didn't really know what to say. It's not everyday that you find out your girlfriend's the Avatar…who doesn't protect people, but kills them and secretly works for a dark spirit. He sat down next to him, "You know, we don't really know if she's doing this on purpose. For all we know, she could be hypnotized or mind-controlled or…something," he tried to cheer his friend up, patting him on the back. "Maybe…" Taka said, "honestly, I'm thinking of just confronting her about this when she gets here." "Uh-", he sighed, "I don't know, man. It's really up to you. I'm just afraid that if she knows that you know, she might, you know, hurt you." The two friends sat there, contemplating the matter. It wasn't long before she would come. They had to figure something out, what to do. But before they could, there was a knock on the door. Their hearts were pounding in their chest. They were freaking out inside. Taka sighed before saying, "Well, here we go." "Okay," his friend said wide-eyed, worried.

Taka stood up and walked towards the door. He stopped for a moment to regain himself and contemplate. There was another knock on the door. He reached for the doorknob slowly, looking at Masaru for a moment, and then opened the door. And it was no surprise that it was Korra, holding something behind her back. "Hey, Taka," she greeted him. "Hey Ko- Yue!" he almost slipped, "hey! How are you?" "I'm…fine," she replied confused. He was smiling and moving strangely. Masaru could only cover his face in shock and amazement at his friend's near slip-up. _Oh spirits, we're gonna die_, he thought. "What about you? How are you?" Korra asked. "Yeah2, I'm great," he answered, "yesterday was…amazing." "It was, wasn't it?" she agreed, "oh! I got this for you." She revealed her hand carrying some flowers. "I don't know, I just thought I should bring you something," she said. "Oh, thank you," he looked at them, "it's beautiful. Oh, come in, come in." "Thank you." She stepped in and he closed the door behind her. At this point, he was very nervous. As he was closing the door, he could only think about what to do or what to say. "Uhh, you remember my friend Masaru?" he asked her. "Yeah, from yesterday morning. What's up?" "Ohhh, nothing much," he said still covering his mouth, trying to avoid eye contact, and speaking weirdly, "the sky, I guess." She laughed, "Haha, good one." "Please, sit down," Taka said. "Soooo, Taka told me you had to work last night. How was it?" Masaru asked her, still somewhat covering his mouth. "Oh, yeah. It was…you know, it was work," she explained. "Yeah2, sure." "So, Yue, did you hear about what happened last night?" Taka asked sitting down. Of course she knew, but she pretended not to. "What happened last night?" "At the refinery?" "Oh, that. I mean, I heard a little bit about it, but I don't really know what happened," she stated. Taka and Masaru looked at each other. "So what're we gonna do today?" she asked. "Uh, well…I'm not really sure yet. Haha. I mean, there's not really a plan, but we can do something, I guess." She nodded, "Haha. Yeah, sure. But don't you have work? I can come again." "No, today's my day-off actually. Besides you didn't really help last time." "Yeah, sorry about that. But if we go today, I promise you that I'll help," she said. "No, it's fine. Like I said, it's my day-off today anyway," he restated. "Okay, I can't do this." Masaru looked at him wide-eyed, not believing that he was gonna tell her. "There's actually something I need to say." "Sure, what's up?" Masaru immediately stood up, "Well, it looks like you guys need to talk to each other alone, so I'll just be upstairs." "Thank you," he said sarcastically. "Taka, what's going on?" He took a deep breath and prepared himself. "Well…" he sighed, "I don't wanna lie to you. I know who you are, Korra." Her face quickly turned to shock at the realization. "That is your name, right, Avatar? That was the name of the Avatar who disappeared one year ago," he inquired. She lowered her head, "Yes. How did you know?" "I saw you at the refinery last night," he explained as Masaru listened from upstairs, "Masaru did too. We were together, we came to try to help when we saw you." "Oh great, he told her I was there too," Masaru said rubbing his eyes. "Taka, it's not what it looks like." "Really? Cause it looked like you killed everyone in that place. I saw their bodies. And I saw you…talking with that spirit. In that cave, we followed you." "That was you?" "Yes." She started crying, trying to explain everything. "I'm so sorry, Taka. I almost killed you. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it. It's really complicated, okay?" A tear also went down his cheek. "I wanna believe you. So who or what is this is spirit?" "His name is Mala Ta'ak" she said wiping some of the tears away, "he's very powerful, and very old. I don't know everything, he doesn't tell me everything." "What does he want?" "To destroy our world." He was shocked at what he heard and rubbed his forehead. "Taka…" He immediately stood up, a little angry and frustrated, "So why do you serve him?!" "Because I have to," she said. "But he's gonna destroy us! You're the Avatar, aren't you supposed to protect us? Why are you helping him?!" "It's because I'm the Avatar that I have to serve him!" she said standing up, slamming her hands on the table. After that, they both calmed down a little. "What're you talking about that you have to serve him cause you're the Avatar?" he asked. She walked to the window and looked out. "It was Mala Ta'ak who created the Avatar thousands of years ago," she answered. He couldn't be more surprised, especially after all that he had been receiving. He asked her why a dark spirit created the Avatar, a protector and keeper of balance. As she said before, she doesn't know all the details, the origin story. But she did know some. "Being a protector was the Avatar's secondary purpose, originally, to make people think that he or she was a hero. But the Avatar's main purpose is to serve Mala Ta'ak and, as of recently, help him escape." "Escape?" "He is imprisoned at the moment. Locked away in a very far place. But now that I have the final piece of the artifact, I will set him free. Once that's done, the Avatar's purpose will be complete and I will be free…from this burden." He listened to her story, but didn't really know what to feel or say. "Well, the question comes back again, why do you have to serve him?" "I am…compelled to. It's not mind-control or anything like that. I'm still me. It's just that, as my creator, I HAVE to serve him," she explained, "it's hard to explain. It also brought out the darkness in me. I guess I'm not really me anymore. But he needs me though. The Avatar is his only connection to this world. Without the Avatar, he is lost forever. I didn't know this until a later so it was too late." "Too late for what?" he asked. "To late to sever his connection to this world." "Wait, you mean you were gonna…?" "I thought it was the only way, but I can't do it anyway." "That's good, be strong. There has to be another way." "No, Taka. I can't do it because I can't be killed." "What?" She then went to a drawer and pulled out a knife. "Here, stab me with this," she said. "Are you crazy? I'm not gonna stab you with that." "Who says you can?" She looked at him, confident that he would not be able to do it. "Just do it." He reluctantly took the knife from her hand, "Okay, fine." She took a few steps back and widened her arms, telling him to do it. He closed his eyes trying to muster the courage to do it. His muscles tensed and his hand was shivering. He then screamed and ran at her with it. But as soon as he lunged the knife at her, it stopped right in front of her. "What?" he was confused. He could feel some kind of force repelling the knife, stopping it before it could reach her. He tried to force the knife in, but it only bent away as he got closer. "Okay, what's going on?" "Like I said, I can't be killed. Mala Ta'ak put some kind of magic on me. It repels anything that would hurt me. It can't be breached by anything, trust me, I've tried." The look on his face as he sat back down and tried to take it all in. "Well, maybe…you haven't tried everything," he threw it out there. "It doesn't matter, Taka. For that's the genius of creating the Avatar. Even if I die, the Avatar would just be reincarnated in someone else who's next in the cycle. He will always have an Avatar. The reason he made me like this is because he doesn't have much time left. He didn't wanna take the chance of waiting," she explained. "Wow… That's a lot to take in after only a first date," he said half-jokingly. "Haha," she managed to laugh a little. "I'm sorry, Taka," she apologized, "I'm sorry for lying to you and hiding the truth from you. I was hoping that I could just forget about all this. And hanging-out with you yesterday, I did. I could just have fun again. That was real, Taka." She got closer to him. "That feeling that I had yesterday was real." "It was real for me too. That's why it was so hard for me to accept all this." "I don't know why this happened during the final moments. Why we met. I wish we could have more time," she cried, "but this is my destiny as the Avatar." He looked at her and said, "What have I been telling you? We make our own choices. And I don't believe in destiny," he said sternly. He then kissed her again. "I'm sorry, Taka," she said, "but this time you can't do anything about it." "Bullshit." She scoffed a little, with a mix of desperation, "What are you gonna do?" "I'm gonna break the Avatar Cycle," he said determined. "You can't Taka, it's impossible. The only way to break the Avatar Cycle is if I die while I'm in the avatar state." "I don't believe that." "Okay, so tell me how you're gonna do it." "Well, not alone," Masaru suddenly appeared form upstairs, "I hope you guys don't mind, but I've been kinda listening in. Especially when I heard that the world is at stake." Taka smiled at his friend. "You're really gonna help us?" "Like I said, I'm not leaving you alone," he said putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Guys, I really appreciate what you're trying to do for me…but I'm telling you that it's impossible." "Nothing's impossible," Taka said smiling. "When do you have to release him?" "Well I got him to give me one more day so I could spend time with you, one last time." "Good. So that means we've got until tomorrow. Let's go to the library. I wanna brush up on my history," Taka said. "Uhhh, I'll go on ahead. Looks like you two need to talk further," he said noticing, "I'll meet you guys there." He then headed out the door. "Korra, don't you wanna be free of this?" he asked her. "Yes, I do. But freeing Mala Ta'ak is the only way." "We don't know that yet. You said you wanna hang out with me today, so let's hang out." She looked at him half-smiling, trying to be optimistic. "Trust me," he said. She then smiled a full smile at him, "Okay, Taka. We have until tomorrow to find another way." "No problem. Let's go." With that, they headed out to join Masaru at the library.


	9. Chapter 9: The Gift

At the library, Masaru already got a head start with some books and just asking around. He looked and asked about anything involving the Avatar. For a small town, the library was actually quite big and one of the best in the world. They don't have a complete collection, but they had an abundance of books and artifacts. Korra and Taka was standing right in front of it, near the entrance. "Wow. This is a big library," she said. "Yeah, it's one of the biggest actually. Come on, let's find Masaru." They stepped inside and Korra was even more amazed at the collection they have. It was magnificent. The interior had a light orange colored design to it and the lights only add to the brightness of it. Bookshelves were everywhere and there were also quite a lot of people. "It is impressive, isn't it?" Taka remarked looking at it. "I've actually been here before, once. My dad took me her when I was a kid. I've heard about it though. Man, I've forgotten…" Masaru was waiting for a book at a counter when he saw them. "Excuse me for a moment," he said to the staff. He went over to them and greeted them. "Hey, guys. I've been digging as much as I could. Still nothing yet," he explained, "I'm actually waiting for another book right now. Speaking of which, I should get back to it. Come on." They all headed back to the counter. The lady had already found what they were looking for and told them the section number where they could find the book. She also gave him a paper with the information on it. "Great. Thank you so much," Masaru expressed his gratitude. "It's alright," the lady smiled, "you can come back here or to another counter if you wanna find another one. It's a big library after all." They quickly headed for that section. It was on the second floor of the library. At the section, they had to search for it endlessly. There were hundreds of books. Masaru quickly looked through with the piece of paper in one hand, sifting through the books with the other. "Ah, found it," he told them. "Great, now where do we sit?" Korra asked. "I've got a room ready. Let's go," he said. At the room, there were already a few books on the table. "Sit down, sit down," he told them. "You've read through all these?" Taka asked. "Yeah, most of it. I've read the main points. You guys are welcome to go through it again, I might've missed something." "What's that one about?" she asked about the book he just got. "Not really sure. I just searched for anything with that concerns the Avatar," he explained. Taka and Korra sat down at the chairs across him and re-read the previous books. This went on for quite a while, going in and out, getting other books, reading them. As Taka was out searching, Korra conversed with Masaru. She was curious. "So how did you know Taka?" she asked. "Oh, we've known each other since we were kids. We used to do all kinds of things together. We grew even closer after his parents died. He lived with me and my family for a while before moving back to his parent's home. Said he needed to do it. But we still see each other a lot," he told her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" "No, it's alright." "Well, he's lucky to have a friend like you. Who's willing to help him with anything," she said. "Haha. Don't get me wrong, I'm really scared right now…and freaking out. But I'll always be there for him. I think he's been through enough. You should've seen the way he was after your date yesterday. He was really happy for the first time in a long time." "Really?" she smiled. "Yeah. He's willing to do anything to save you. That's why we came there last night…that's why he followed you. And since you make him happy, if there's even a slight chance to save you, then I'm willing to try too." He smiled at her. "Thank you," she said. The door then opened and Taka entered after finishing his search. "What's going on?" he asked. "Nothing. We just had a little…brainstorming," she replied. "Cool. I found another book," he told them. "Greeeat. That's gonna help us like the last hundred books have," she said. "Just keep looking." It was starting to get dark outside. They've been reading for hours and still found nothing. Masaru was already fast asleep with his head on a book. Korra was pretty tired too, propping herself on her elbow, and yawning. Taka was the only one who was still serious. He was tired too, but he didn't think about it too much. When he's determined he usually sticks to it. "Taka, we really don't have much time left," she said. "I know." "And we still haven't found anything." "I know! Dammit! Nothing here too," he said frustrated. "Masaru, wake up!" "Huh? I'm up, I'm up." "I got nothing, again," he told them. "Face it, Taka. There's no other way," Korra said, not wanting herself to be right. "No, we're not giving up. We've still got until morning. I've been searching all night. Can you guys do this one?" She sighed, "Come on, Masaru." "Yeah, sure," he said, tired. They both got up and went out the door. Taka decided to re-read some of the other books again. There must be something they missed. But the tiredness was beginning to take its toll on him and his head fell on the book to rest. "Taka?" the voice spoke again, "Taka? Come." It was calling him, whatever it was.

He suddenly got back up, though he didn't seem awake, and stood up and walked out the door. He seemed to be in some sort of trance. He kept walking, eventually leaving the library and heading for the ocean. Korra and Masaru were still looking for other books to read and haven't noticed yet. As he reached the beach, he continued walking and entered the water. When he came to, he was suddenly out in the ocean. He turned around to see a forest. It seemed he was on an island and not in the town anymore. He touched his forehead, head pounding, and said, "What happened?" "I have brought you here," a voice suddenly spoke, "I am sorry for the way which I have brought you here, but I had no choice." Surprised, he asked, "Who are you?" "Perhaps it would be better if we talk face-to-face," the voice continued. Suddenly the island rumbled and he saw a huge object to his right rising. "Climb on top of my hand," the voice told him. It WAS a huge hand. He was reluctant, but he did so. The hand then moved again to in front of a huge face. "Wow," he said.

Back at the library, Korra and Masaru had returned to the room to find it empty. "Uhh, where's Taka?" she asked. "I don't know. Probably out looking for more books," he told her, "let's just get this stuff in and sit down. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"What are you?" "I am the last of the lion turtles," it spoke, "I have brought you here to aid you on your quest to defeat Mala Ta'ak." "You know of him?" "Yes. I have been around for as long as he has. There were many of us back then, but since the dawn of the Avatar, your people have hunted and killed my kind. Now I am the last," it explained. "I'm sorry," he said. "Your apology is not needed. The blame is not on you." "You know of the Avatar's creation as well?" he asked. "Yes." "So what kind of spirit is Mala Ta'ak?" "He was the first spirit, born out of darkness. His counterpart, Cha'haya, was a spirit born of light." "But how can you help me defeat Mala Ta'ak? I have been searching for a way all night, but have found no answers. I'm beginning to think Korra is right. Maybe there is no other way." "No, the Avatar is mistaken. There is another way to break the Avatar Cycle without killing her," it told him. He smiled with hope. "The artifact was created by Avatar Wan himself, the first Avatar. You and your friends must journey to the Spirit World, to his temple. There you will find what you have been searching for," the lion turtle explained, "look for a spirit who is called Mogley." "Mogley?" he asked strangely. "He was very close with Avatar Wan and now guards his temple. You must find him. Explain your quest to him and he will lead you to Avatar Wan's temple. He will know what to do." For the first time all day, he felt hope again. He could save her. "It is important that you succeed before the Harmonic Convergence arrives. For that is when he will be most powerful and the spirit portals will be open for him to enter to our world." "I understand. I will go and tell the Avatar this. Hmph, I wish I could do more to help her though. But I am just a man. I can't even bend an element," he told the lion turtle. "Taka, you are not just another man. You have faced a great tragedy in your life, but never succumbed to despair and never lost hope in your life. And now you can extend that hope to others, which you have. You are willing to do anything to save her, a woman you barely know. For that, I will grant you a gift to help you on your journey." "What kind of gift?" "Before the era of the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within ourselves," the lion turtle explained extending its index and middle finger to his head and chest, "this is the power I grant you now. The power of energybending." Its fingers started glowing as it grants him the power. He felt strange for a moment. It retracts them back before saying, "There, it is done." Taka looked at both of his hands, but didn't really feel any different. "I don't feel different," he said. "A long time ago, I granted Avatar Aang the same ability. With this power, he defeated the Fire Lord and saved the world. When the time comes, you will know what to do," it told him, "but be wary. Mala Ta'ak's control over the Avatar is greater than you imagine. Do not let your guard down." He lowered his head and closed his eyes. It wasn't new information for him. Although he feared that too, he believed in her.

At the library, Korra and Masaru were still hard at work reading, trying to find the answer, not knowing that their friend had already found it. "(Sigh) There's nothing here," he said. "Nothing here too. We've looked everywhere." "Maybe…maybe you were right. Maybe there is no other way. "We tried," she said, "I guess I have to face him now. Enjoy these last few moments of your life. Cause he's coming." He looked down in despair. But as they were at the edge of their hopes, Taka suddenly returned. The door opened and he walked in. "Hey, guys," he greeted them, looking excited and exhausted. "Where have you been?" she asked. "Haha, you wouldn't really believe me if I told you." They looked at each other, not understanding. "Anyway, I've got good news. I found it. I've finally found another way to break the Avatar Cycle without killing you." Masaru smiled at this revelation, so did Korra. "Really? You're not joking?" she asked him. "No, I'm not." He then told them what he know and what they need to do. "Where did you get this from?" Korra asked. He sighed before telling them, "A giant lion turtle?" "O-kayy," Masaru said. "Look, unless you got a better idea, this is the only chance we have. Unless you guys wanna continue sifting through these infinite pages." They looked at each other, not wanting to do that again. "Okay, alright. One question though: How do we enter the Spirit World?" Masaru asked. "Uhh- I have no idea," he said, lowering his head. "Well lucky for you, you've got me here," Korra said, "I know a way we can get in." "Alright. Let's hurry, we don't have much time," Taka stated. She put on her snow jacket that she took off, "Right, let's go then." They exited the library and headed back towards the mountain.


	10. Chapter 10: The Spirit World

"Where is this way again?" Masaru asked. "You're not gonna like it, but it's the only way. It's back at the cave. There's a portal there that can take us to the Spirit World," she explained. "Great," he said sarcastically, "can you guys wait for a moment. I actually have to pick up something from my house. Be back soon." "Wait! (Sigh) Are you sure Mala Ta'ak won't be there?" Taka asked. "I'm sure. He doesn't come unless I summon him. So we should be okay." "Should?" he asked worried. "We'll be fine," she said. "Alright, I just…actually need to get something from my house too." "Okay, hurry." "Be right back." Masaru then returned with something that could help. "A sword?" she asked. "Yeah, it's my family's sword. I figured it might come in handy," he told her. "Where's Taka?" "I'm here," he came back. "Where did you go?" "Came to get my scarf. I figured it might be pretty cold." "Cool." It was a dark-reddish scarf with black lines going across the top and bottom. But it wasn't just any scarf, it meant a lot to him. It was his father's, and sort of a family heirloom. "Okay, we really need to go now," she told them. As they reached the base of the mountain, "Get on," she said. "Get on what?" they asked. "Just get close to me." She then earthbended the ground beneath them to raise them up, climbing up faster. "Whoa!" they both shouted. "Now this is what I call travelling," Masaru said. Eventually, they reached the entrance to the cave, whereupon they quickly jumped off their rock elevator and quickly ran to it. She opened the entrance and they went in. "Okay, this place brings back bad memories," Taka said as they ran through the tunnel. "I'm really sorry about that," Korra told him. "I know, it's okay," he smiled. They reached the open area and they went to the side of the waterfall. "Alright, guys. Hang on," she warned them. "Hang on- Whoa!" Masaru spoke. She used her airbending to give them all a boost up to the small area above the waterfall. As she fell gracefully, Taka and Masaru fell on their asses. "Ow!" they both exclaimed. "Stop whining," she said to them, "let's go." They got up, feeling sore, holding their backs. "So where is this thing?" Taka asked. Korra raised her right hand forward. "It's here," she said. Masaru then looked at where the waterfall originates, "Where is the water coming from?" "From the Spirit World. This is the portal," she explained. With her right hand, she opened the portal as it warped in front of them. On the other side was another place. "Are you sure this is safe?" he asked. She then stepped through the portal and entered the Spirit World. "Just step through," she said. Taka takes a deep breath and quickly enters. "He looks at himself, making sure nothing happened. He turned around and said, "Come on, Masaru." "Alright," he said to himself softly. He holstered his sword on his back and walked through.

"Haha, I'm okay. Whoa," he said admiring the surrounding. They were standing on a circular platform very high up, and they could see a 360o view of the area, mostly thick forests. "Welcome to the Spirit World," Korra said. "Wow," they were amazed. "It's not as scary as I thought it would be," Masaru said, "it's actually quite beautiful." "Yeah, wait till you see what's waiting for us," she told him. "We don't have much time left, so what do we do now, Taka?" "Well, the lion turtle told me to find a spirit called Mogley. We have to explain to him what' we're doing and he'll help us." "Mogley?" she asked. "Yeah, I know." "Alright, so how do we find him?" the sword wielder asked. "I have no idea." "Great, so we're just gonna wander around until we find him?" "Or until he finds us. The Spirit World is pretty much infinite in size, so let's hope it's the latter," Korra explained. They then proceeded down the long stairs to the entrance to the spirit wilds. Korra was walking particularly fast. "Hey, I know we need to hurry, but we've still got time," Taka said. "No, we don't. If I'm in the Spirit World, there's a chance that Mala Ta'ak can sense me," she explained. "What?!" he asked, "you told us he wouldn't know!" "No, what I said was, he wouldn't come if I don't summon him…in the cave! Here there's a slight chance he can sense me…a chance, okay? He might, he might not. That's why we should do this as fast as possible." "But what does it matter if he knows anyway? He's locked up, right?" Masaru asked. "Yes, HE is. But his followers aren't." "Well, that's just great, isn't it?" "Let's just hurry," she said. They entered. The trees were very dense with wild vines. It wasn't your ordinary jungle. Plenty of spirits were watching them from the trees and branches, but they didn't do anything. "Uhh, what're they doing?" the sword wielder asked worried. "They're just watching us. Don't worry most of them won't attack," she explained. "Most?" "Why won't they attack?" Taka asked. "Because of me. Most spirits aren't usually violent anyway, but they know and respect the Avatar," she told them, "and they're really afraid of Mala Ta'ak. They think I can save them." "Wait, so they don't know that you…?" "No. Let's keep moving." "Do you know where you're going?" Taka asked. Uhh, kind of… I've been here many times. Although I don't know who or where this Mogley is, but I think I know a place where we can find him," she said looking serious. "Alright, lead the way," Masaru said. Taka was a little wary. He remembered what the lion turtle told him. _"Mala Ta'ak's control over the Avatar is greater than you imagine."_ Suspicion clouded his mind as he followed her, but he still believed. _She's stronger than that_, he thought. As they were walking, he started thinking about the power the lion turtle bestowed him. What did it mean by "bending the energy within"? He looked at both of his hands. Couldn't really feel a difference. It did say he'd understand when the time is right. _What does that even mean?,_ he thought. Eventually, the path changed to more stone-like as they started to move out of the forest. In front of them was a huge stone structure, kinda like a castle, but already broken. They asked what this place is. "It's just a place that a few spirits like to gather at. Either one of them is Mogley or might know where he is," she explained. They admired the architecture. Who knew they had stuff like this in the Spirit World. "Are you sure?" Taka asked. "Yes, I'm sure," she said. He looked at her with suspicion. "Trust me." "Okay." "Now, come on. This place is very ancient. Stick close to me," she said. Without further thought, they went in. "So where are the spirits, Korra?" he asked her. "I…actually don't know," she answered, "they're usually here. I'm gonna go check the place out." As she was about to, Taka grabbed her hand…then something happened. There was a slight glow from his hand, and from both their eyes too for a brief moment. "Urgh!" they both exclaimed covering their eyes. "What…what did you do?" she asked. "Uhh, I have no idea." She felt weird for a moment…they both did. "You guys okay?" Masaru asked. "Yeah, we're fine," she said. He shook it off and then saw the necklace he bought her. "You still have that?" he asked. "What? Oh this thing. Yeah, it means a lot to me," she answered. He smiled at the fact that she said that. She smiled back and gave a little chuckle, "Haha. Come on, let's go." Masaru only raised his hands in confusion before following them. They went through a broken door with stairs leading downwards inside and followed it. It wasn't very long. When they reached the bottom, she created a fire in her hand to light the way. They were inside a long, dark tunnel. It was very old. Eventually there was a light near at the end. It lead to a small, open area with some kind of stone artifact in the middle.

"Korra, what is this place?" Taka asked. "That…is the artifact of resurrection," she said. They entered the area, but were ambushed by two spirits. Though their forms were a bit distorted, they took the appearance of a man and a woman, seemingly in their mid-30s. They knocked both Taka and Masaru out. "Don't hurt them," she said. "As you wish," the man replied sinisterly, "chain them to the wall." The woman then did as she was instructed. "Now then, do you have the final piece?" he asked. "Of course. Let's do this," she answered anxiously. The man bowed, gesturing his arm, allowing her to proceed. She took off her jacket and threw it away. Then they both walked towards the artifact and she took the piece out of her bag. The woman took Masaru's sword away as she chained their arms to the wall. Taka came to and saw what Korra was about to do. "Korra, what are you doing?!" he shouted at her. "What I have to do!" she answered. She presented the piece to the artifact and it flew from her hands and inserted itself into it, completing it. It had the same design as the piece. The roof was open to allow viewing of the sky and light to enter. "Come, child," the man said to her. She climbed up the small steps to the artifact. The sky above suddenly opened up as if a portal, and on the other side was…another place. Mala Ta'ak's voice could be heard talking from it. "Ah, finally. I will be free soon," he spoke. Korra looked anxious, she doesn't really wanna do it. "It's time to free the master," the man told her. "Korra! You don't have to do this! We always have a choice!" he screamed. "Shut up!" the woman spoke slapping him. She was contemplating, holding the necklace tightly, and crying. "No, Avatar. You do not," the man spoke grabbing the necklace off her and throwing it in front of Taka, "this is what you were created to do. The master created you to serve! Now release him! Put your hand on the artifact and activate it. Use the power that he gave you!" "How are you resisting my power?" Mala Ta'ak spoke. Taka then remembered what happened before they came down here, when he touched her arm. He must've used his energybending to remove some of Mala Ta'ak's influence. "Calm down, my young Avatar," Mala Ta'ak spoke to her, "calm down and release me." She stopped her crying, and when she opened her eyes, it glowed blue again. "Yes, master," she said. She approached the artifact and placed her hand on it. The artifact glowed bright red upwards and shot a beam towards the sky. It hit the portal and shattered his prison. " I. Am. Freeeee!" he screamed out. He entered through the portal into the Spirit World, a dark mass of shadows and darkness without a true form. "Oh, crap," Taka exclaimed. He tried to free his hand, as the woman was distracted. He succeeded and grabbed her necklace. "Now, for the final step," the man spoke. "Korra!" Taka screamed out to her. She turned to him. "You shut your mouth!" the woman said preparing to slap him again. He tried to cover himself and suddenly a burst of energy was released from his hand, sending her flying away. He was as surprised as the man was, staring at him. "Impossible," the man spoke. He then turned his attention back to Korra, "Korra! Remember who you are!" He then threw the necklace to her. She caught it with her hand and then stared at it, her eyes still glowing bright blue. Memories of her time with him came back to her. Images flashed through her head like a video playback. A single tear fell down as her eyes stopped glowing. She smiled again. His face lighted up as he saw that it worked. "No!" the man screamed grabbing her face, "you will fulfill your destiny!" Her smile faded. The man forced her to kneel down. "Now that the master is free, you will return the power you borrowed from him!" he spoke, "Say these words: I, Avatar Korra, will you my power. Say it!" "No, Korra, don't do it," Taka said. It was at this time that Masaru just woke up. "Huh, what happened? Oh, no," he said as he saw. "I…" she started, "Avatar Korra…" "Don't do it." "will you…" she stopped to look at the man. "Finish it!" Clenching her teeth, "…nothing." She then used all her might to airbend the man away. "Nooooooooooo….!" he screamed as he flew away. She regained her composure and quickly ran to her friends. "Taka?" He smiled at her, "I knew you wouldn't do it," he said. "I had you to guide me." She took off their chains and they both shared a passionate kiss. It was a bit awkward for his friend…he coughed and looked around. The woman disappeared and he saw his sword. He ran to retrieve it. "You were right, Taka. We do have a choice." "Haha, I told you," he said putting the necklace back around her neck. "Maybe there was a reason I met you so close to this day. Maybe that was destiny." "Well, I really don't care." "Uhhh, guys. We still have a mission to do," Masaru reminded them. "Right, let's go." The entire room suddenly shook and rumbled. "I don't think so, my former servant," Mala Ta'ak spoke, "you will give me your power!" He reached out to grab them, but was suddenly repelled by a bright light. "Aarrgghhh!" He disappeared and went away, at least for a moment. "What just happened?" Masaru asked. A figure suddenly appeared on the roof before jumping down. It was a lemur-like spirit standing as tall as them wearing a small, circular shaped amulet around his neck. "Hello, travelers. I am Mogley, guardian of the temple," it introduced itself as the spirit they have been searching for. "You're Mogley?" Taka asked surprised. "I am. And you must be the Avatar. It is an honor to meet you," he bowed to her. "Well, thank you," she replied, "anyway, we need your help." "I know. Mala Ta'ak is free, therefore we don't have much time. Come, we must hurry." They all ran back through the tunnel and exited out. "This way," he said. They headed left through a gate and exited back to the forest. "Whoa! What's this?" the sword wielder asked. White bear-like spirits attached to a carriage were waiting for them. "This is how we're gonna get to Avatar Wan's temple," Mogley said, "now get on, it isn't far from here." Seeing the spirits reminded her of an old friend that she hasn't seen for over a year. Naga, her pet bear-dog whom she was forced to abandon under Mala Ta'ak's orders. It brought about unwanted feelings. She lowered her head and cried, "I'm sorry, Naga." Taka jumped back down to comfort her. "What's wrong?" "Nothing, I just…I was forced to leave an old friend behind." "Well, I know you'll see your friend again. But we don't have much time now. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can go home. Okay?" he said. She wiped her tears away, "Let's do this." They all got on and off they went.


	11. Chapter 11: Race Against Time

"You just sit here, okay? We'll be there soon," he told her. "Alright, so wait a minute, if Mala Ta'ak is already free, then what's the point of breaking the cycle anymore?" he asked Mogley. "Well, he's not technically 'free' yet. He still needs the Avatar to will him the power that he himself parted with," he explained, "without it, he is still bound to his prison and this realm. He still can't enter the human world without his full power." Suddenly they heard a crash from behind them, and a roar. "Where are you, Korra?" "He's back." "Yeah, how did you make him disappear last time?" he asked. "With my amulet. It's a special light amulet created by Cha'haya herself," he explained. "Cha'haya… She's Mala Ta'ak's opposite, right? The spirit of light?" "Yes, but she cannot help us anymore." "Why not?" The spirit didn't answer him. "Taka, he can sense me. He'll find us," Korra said. "It doesn't matter, we're almost there." Coming closer to them, they could see the temple in the distance. "There it is," the spirit said. But suddenly, an energy blast was shot in front of them, derailing their carriage and scaring off the bear-spirits. "Is everyone alright?" the spirit asked them. "Yeah," they said. "Just hurt my…everything," Masaru spoke. There was a loud boom behind them. "There you are, my servant." "He found us!" "I told you!" He lunged towards them," You're mine." As Mogley quickly reached for the amulet, Taka stepped in first to protect Korra, "Nooooooo…!" he screamed as he punched towards him releasing another burst of energy. It was enough to repel him back a bit. "Impossible!" he screamed.

Mogley then used his amulet again and Mala Ta'ak retreated as the bright light hit him. "We have to hurry! The amulet won't work forever. He grows stronger as he is out." "Korra, come on," Taka said. "Right," she said. Her head still wasn't in the game. "Looks like we're gonna have to run for it," Masaru observed. "Let's go." "By the way, young man, any chance you're an energybender? I saw what you did back there," Mogley asked Taka as they were running. "That's what the giant lion turtle said," he explained. "I see. So you've met the lion turtle? I'm sorry. It's just that no one has ever seen an energybender, or a lion turtle for that matter, in over 10,000 years." "Are you serious?" "Yeah, energybenders are extinct. And until you told me about it, I thought lion turtles were too." "Well, the one I met was the last one." "I see." Boom! An explosion occurred in front of them. They saw a big beast thing on top of a tree branch shooting energy beams at them. "Look out!" They dodged another one. More spirits started to show up, staring at them with sinister intent. "Go my minions. I have released the magic that protects her. Now she can be harmed," the dark spirit said, "but do not kill her. Only slow her down enough until Convergence ends." "Mogley, what's going on?" Taka asked. "They're Mala Ta'ak's followers. Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way through." "That's fine by me," Korra said. She then firebended at them furiously and hit one of them. They growled at them before attacking. Masaru unsheathed his sword and the battle began. "Aaaarrrghhh!" they all shouted. It was a glorious battle for the fate of the world. All the elements were by their side. They were split up, Masaru with Mogley and Taka with Korra. He didn't really know what to do though leaving Korra to do all the fighting. As a group jumped for them, she firebended a huge fire wave to them and then quickly earthbended the ground up to protect them from a flank. "Argh!" Taka shouted. "Stay here, Taka," Korra said as she airbended up to the trees. She was dodging and firebending and airbending and jumping… There wasn't any water around except for a small river beyond the trees. The battle was just devastating and all over the place. "Taka, use your energybending to control your energy!" Mogley screamed at him. "I don't know how!" he yelled back. He was only dodging and avoiding. Masaru on the other hand was slaying many of them with his sword, which he was surprisingly good with. Korra was fighting a bunch of them and, surrounded, created a pocket of air that expanded. As she was recuperating, one of them managed to land a surprise hit and stabbed her lower left stomach, and she fell back down. "Urgh!" she exclaimed. She was bleeding. "Korra!" he screamed. "Okay, focus." His eyes then glowed bright green and the air around him was moving furiously. As everyone was distracted, she took that to her advantage and lightningbend towards the spirit that had her pinned down, destroying it. All the spirits then shifted their focus to him and attacked, but was all repelled. He had raised his arms and created some kind of force field around him. "He's doing it," Mogley said excited, "just like the good old days." The spirits now looked pretty afraid of him. He lowered the force field and thrust his hand forward sending out an energy wave that knocked out most of them. The rest then ran away in fear. He flicked his hand forward to them, sending a small energy that transformed into a huge cage. Korra and Masaru stared at him in amazement. Mogley had already known what energybending is capable of, having existed when energybenders were still around. His eyes than reverted back and he then fell down on his knees. They both ran to help him up. "You okay, buddy?" his friend asked. "Yeah, I'm-fine." "What happened?" she asked. "I have no idea. It was like…I was possessed, I guess," he tried to explain, "I just knew what I had to do all of a sudden." "You were connecting to past energybenders," Mogley explained, "just like the Avatar connects with their past lives, energybenders can connect to one another." "Well, whatever that was, it was awesome, dude," Masaru expressed his excitement. "Anyway, enough about me, are YOU okay?" he asked seeing her wound. "I'm fine," she said with an obviously not face. "I'm fine," she reiterated. "No, you're not. Lie down. Young man, come here," the spirit said. "Okay? The name's Taka, by the way." Haha. Nice to meet you, Taka. I need you to heal her," he said. "Excuse me?" he asked confused. "Energybenders have the ability to heal others by using their own energy…to an extent, of course," he explained. "Okay, but I don't…really know how to do that…" he rubbed his chin. "Put your hand on her wound." "Argh," she exclaimed in pain. "Sorry." "Haha, no. It's okay," she said softly, looking bad. "Do you know what to do?" he asked. "Ummm, kind of." His hand started to glow and she started to groan in pain a little. It was working, at least for brief moment. "Ahh!" he exclaimed. The toll was too much for him. To heal others, energybenders must expend their own energy, which is dangerous. As the other person healed, they would become weaker, at least for a short while. He didn't manage to do much, stopped the pain and bleeding a little. "It's alright, Taka. Don't force yourself," the spirit said. "Yeah, I got that. Sorry, Korra." She got up, the wound still taking its toll, "It's okay. I'm fine." She was holding her wound, her left hand bloodied. "I hope you are, cause we actually have to go." "Come on, I've got you," Taka carried her. They then walked the rest of the way to the temple, which wasn't very far anymore. And at long last, they finally reached it, though to their surprise it was only an empty field. "Uhh, where is it?" Masaru asked. "I cloaked it before I left. It usually isn't, but given the circumstances, it will hide it from Mala Ta'ak." He snapped his fingers and the force field that surrounds it became visible. A small hole was created to let them pass. They quickly entered and Mogley resealed the force field. "I have guarded this temple for over 10,000 years, waiting for this day to come. It has never been discovered nor breached." "So Mala Ta'ak can't find us here?" "No, he will. The shield will not hold him and will only hide us for brief moment. As long as you're the Avatar, he will be able to sense you and find us." Eventually they reached a long stair heading downwards. "We are nearly there. This is the way." He grabbed a torch off the wall and they continued.

After a quite long descent, they reached a tunnel, which leads to… "Welcome to the Chamber of Creation," he said. They admired at how big the place was. It lay underground and circular in shape, and at the end was a statue of Avatar Wan himself. In front of him was the artifact of their salvation, a huge circle, surrounded by water, with a small staff-like object at the center of it surrounded by four rings, each representing the four elements. From the innermost ring, Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, and beyond them laid four pillars, also representing the four elements, with small braziers attached to them. To their left flowed the river that she saw earlier filling the outer rim with water. "Alright, so what do I have to do? Eat some mystical fruit, chant mystical mumbo jumbo," Korra asked. She wasn't looking very good. "No, you must enter the circle and touch the pedestal. Then instructions will be given to you," he explained. "Alright, let's go." They headed down towards it. Outside, Mala Ta'ak was searching for them, destroying everything in his path. "Where are you?!" he screamed out. "Ah, there you are," he said maliciously. He then flew right for them, killing everything in his wake. "Who is that?" Taka asked. "That's him, Avatar Wan himself. The first Avatar." "Wow," Korra stared at it. "This was where the Avatar was created. Where Mala Ta'ak brought a young man named Wan," the spirit explained, "due to that, this area was teeming with powerful energy, from which Avatar Wan constructed the artifact. It was originally above ground, but has since been brought underground to protect it. The temple was then built above it to conceal it." When they reached the edge just before the circle, Mogley told them that from this point on, Korra would have to do it alone. "No way. Look at her, she's hurt, she can't do it alone," Taka spoke furiously. "I am sorry, Taka. But the Avatar must do this alone. Otherwise it will not work," he explained. "Taka, I can do this," she said. He looked at her, "But…I-" "Trust me," she said to him. Masaru grabbed his friend's shoulder, "You should trust her." He looked into her eyes, "I do." He then let her go so she can finish this. "We will protect you for as long as we can," Mogley said to her. "Thank you." "Two more things: As the process continues, you will get weaker and you will lose your bending. And once the process begins, you must not step out and we must not breach the circle." They all nodded. "I understand," she said. "Are you sure you're ready for that?" Taka asked, "you're really willing to let go of all your bending AND being the Avatar?" "It's a small price to pay," she replied, "better than the alternative." "Alright. You may proceed. Good luck, Avatar." She walked down the stairs that leads down to it, but fell to the ground when the place rumbled. "Urgh!" she exclaimed. "Korra!" "No! I told you, we cannot enter." She had already lost a lot of blood and was starting to get dizzy. Her vision was blurring, but she shook it off, picked herself back up, and forced herself to move towards the staff. A hole opened above to let the moonlight in and shined the area. "Welcome, Avatar," a voice spoke, "to begin, choose an element and touch the staff." "What will happen?" "The element of your choice will be drained from you," the voice explained. Then, as it was explaining, there was another rumble that shook the place. "What is that?" Taka asked. "Mala Ta'ak, he has found us." "So how is breaking the Avatar Cycle supposed to stop him again?" Masaru asked. "Mala Ta'ak created the Avatar by using a portion of his own power. The process will drain Korra of that power, dispersing it beyond even him. When the cycle is broken, he will no longer be able to retrieve the power that he once gave away. And without the Avatar, he will lose his connection to our realm and will be sucked back into his prison. But she must succeed before the Harmonic Convergence ends. That is the only time we have. For when it ends, the portal to his prison will close and his power will be forcibly removed from the Avatar and returned to him…and then she will die," the spirit explained to them, "all he has to do now is prevent us from breaking the cycle long enough for the Convergence to end and he will win. And everything will be lost." Outside, Mala Ta'ak is nearly successful in breaking the shield and entering. "You must hurry, Avatar! We have literally just ran out of time!" "Which element do you wish to surrender first, Avatar?" the voice asked again. "I don't know," she said. The rumbling was getting faster. "Hurry, Avatar!" "Fire! I- I choose Fire." "Put your hands on the staff and the process will begin." As instructed, she puts her left hand on it first…and as soon as her right hand touches it, her energy flowed from her body to the staff in a bluish glow, draining her firebending. "Aaaarrrgggghhhh!" she screamed. One of the lines stretching from the staff to the rings started to glow as it transferred her energy to the first ring, fire. As it does so, the ring began to spin clockwise until it was fully rotating and the brazier lit up with fire. The energy drain stopped, the first step was completed. She fell down on her knees, exhausted from the drain. "Which element will you drain next?" the voice continued. She looked up unable to answer. Back outside, Mala Ta'ak has successfully broken the shield. He now proceeded to destroy the temple. The roof began to break and collapse down. She picks herself back up and spoke, "Earth. I choose Earth." "Place your hands on the pedestal." She does so again to begin the draining process. "Aaaarrrrggggghhh!" she screamed again from the pain. The fourth ring lit up and began rotating in a counterclockwise direction. The ground shook as few rocks were levitated above the next brazier. She fell on her knees again, clenching her teeth. "Come on, Korra. You can do this," she told herself. "Go, my minions. Stop them," he said releasing bat-like creatures from his hand. They entered through the opening that was created to let the light enter. "What's that noise?" Taka asked. "There!" Mogley pointed. Korra looked up as they entered. She thrust her fist to them in an attempt to firebend, but couldn't. "Oh, right. No more firebending," she said. Taka quickly extended his energy from his right arm to the area above her, creating an energy field that surrounded the creatures, finally closing and containing them. He then compressed the field to crush them. "Just keep going!" he shouted to her. "I choose air, next!" "Place your hands on the staff." "Aaaaarrrgggghhhh!" the energy drain began again for the third time. The second ring then proceeded to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Air rushed to the third brazier and flowed endlessly above it. This time, she was knocked back and fell on her back. "Argh!" she exclaimed in pain. Her wound and the draining process had finally taken its toll on her. She lied there as the roof above them collapsed. He had finally broken through. Taka used his left hand to create an energy field to protect them from the falling rocks while shooting a small energy from his right towards Korra, creating another field to protect her. "Ah, there you are, Avatar," the dark spirit spoke insidiously. "I'm gonna go get her," Taka spoke. "No! Remember what I said! If we breach the circle, the process will be stopped," the spirit reminded him. Taka looked frustrated, feeling powerless. "Hahahaha. I'm afraid it's too late. How are you gonna fight me without your precious bending?" he mocked her. "She won't have to!" Taka shouted. "You!" Mogley used his amulet again as he rushed them. "Aaaarrghhh!" But this time, he didn't disappear. "That artifact will not protect you any longer." He dispersed the light and continued. "But maybe this will!" Taka shot an energy burst towards him. "Argh!" He continued to shoot his energy at him in a flurry of shots. This was successful in repelling him, and he finally created wall of energy and pushed him back outside, extending the wall just enough to contain him for a short time. "Korra!" he screamed as he held both hands upwards, trying to maintain the wall. "Ah, yes. The energybender. I haven't seen your kind in over 10,000 years!" he said, "Although I admit I'd almost forgotten what it feels like, I know your weakness. Tell me, how much energy do you have left? You can't keep this up." He was looking very exhausted, sweating. Mala Ta'ak started to punch the wall in an attempt to weaken him further. Mogley noticed where it was going and screamed to her, "Avatar Korra! Please get up! You have to finish this!" She woke up from her unconsciousness and slowly stood up, obviously struggling. She limped towards the staff, holding her wound. "What do I have to do now?!" she screamed. "The next step. Place your hands on the staff and drain your final element." Her breathing was becoming rapid as she continued on. Taka kneeled down as the wall began to break. "Come on, Taka! Hold on!" his friend shouted at him. Unable to do so, the dark spirit gave one last punch and the wall broke. "Aaarrggghh!" he screamed in pain before falling unconscious to the ground. "Now get out of my sight!" the dark spirit yelled as he whisked them away into the tunnel. They were slammed against the stairs, unconscious. "Now then, my Avatar. We are finally alone," he spoke insidiously. She was slammed to the ground. "Now, will me your power!" She was crying, so exhausted from all of this, and was actually thinking of doing it. "Come now. You must be tired, no? Will me your power and you can rest." "I…Avatar Korra…" she started the sentence. "Yes, yes." "…will you, my…po-" "Aaarrrgghh!" She was interrupted as the dark spirit flew back outside with great force. Korra tried to get up and see what just happened. "Hey, Korra," a voice spoke to her. She looked up to find that it was none other than Avatar Aang speaking to her. "Aang," she said smiling "It's okay, Korra. You're safe now. We're all here for you," he told her. "We?" she asked. "Yes, we." It was at that moment that all the past Avatars appeared before her. She was surprised and amazed by what she saw. "There's someone I like you to meet, Korra," Aang said. All the Avatars then parted to make way for someone, and stepping out was someone she never thought she would get the chance to meet. "Hello, Avatar Korra," the man spoke. "Korra, I'd like you to meet Avatar Wan, the first Avatar. She gasped at the surprise. For the first Avatar, he looked quite young. He was not very tall, with long hair and a pretty small build to be honest. "You're Avatar Wan," she spoke, still couldn't believe that he was standing before her. "Haha, I am. Listen, Korra. You have to finish this," he told her. "I know. So this is the end of the Avatar?" she asked. "Well, we had a good run, all of us. But it's time for the era of the Avatar to end. You have to stop my former master. Mala Ta'ak must not be free from the shackles of his prison," he explained. The dark spirit returned to look at what happened, his shock when he saw all of his creation's reincarnation. Fear, small though it was, actually gripped the dark spirit. "Korra, we will hold off Mala Ta'ak. But you have to finish the process," Avatar Aang told her. "Alright, let's hold him back as long as we can!" Avatar Wan shouted. Then all the Avatars airbended up and attacked the dark spirit. "Aaarrggghh!" They kept attacking him, knocking him back and away from the temple. But the dark spirit's power was too great even for the Avatars as he easily dispatched some of them, Aang then used his airbending to push him back further. "Aaaarrrghhh! How dare you?! I…created you! I made you! All of you wouldn't exist without me!" "Creating us was your greatest mistake. For you see, you may have created us…" Avatar Roku said. "But you don't control us anymore," Avatar Kyoshi continued. "And we will stop you," Avatar Aang finished.


	12. Chapter 12: The Sacrifice

"Drain your final element, Avatar," the voice spoke again. She hesitated, as she was about to place her hands. Water was not just another element. It was the element of her people, her tribe. And it was the first element she had ever truly learned. Waterbending was special to her and difficult to part with, even with the whole world crumbling down around her. Outside, the Avatars were getting destroyed one by one. "Aang, you know we can't defeat him," Avatar Roku said. "We don't have to defeat him, we just have to hold him long enough for Korra to break the cycle," Avatar Wan told them. "Korra, please hurry. We can't hold him much longer," he talked to her. "I'm sorry," she said dropping a tear, "goodbye." She then placed her hands and the final element was drained. She screamed yet again as the third and final ring rotated. Water was then carried from the outer rim to the fourth and final brazier, hovering above it. She kneeled down again, she was already on the edge, but she kept pushing on. Meeting Taka, remembering what he said, strengthened her willpower. "Now, you must drain your Avatar Spirit. This…is the final step." "Okay," she said still catching her breath. Suddenly there was a crash behind her. Mala Ta'ak, though already weakened from them, had overcome the Avatars before him. Only Avatars Aang and Wan were left, holding him back one last time. "Korra! You have to finish this now! The Harmonic Convergence is almost over!" Aang told her, struggling. They were pushed back and landed on the ground behind her. As they disappeared, the first Avatar gave spoke one last time, "You can do this, Korra. I have faith in you. And remember, we always have a choice." She looked at them as they disappeared, remembering that that's what Taka kept saying to her too. "This is it, my former servant. You lose," he said, "just will your power to me." "No…I will no longer serve you," she spoke softly. "What?" the dark spirit didn't hear. She then stood up, right hand holding the staff, and turned around to address him. "The Avatar will no longer serve! This is the end for us both! The Avatar Cycle…ends here." She then placed her left hand on the staff and began the final draining process. "Nooooooooooo!" he screamed as he struggled to rush towards her. "Aaaaaarrrrggghhhh!" she screamed from the pain.

A beam of light flashed to the sky, affecting the human world too. The weather patterns became strange and erratic and the beam could also be seen from the Northern and Southern Water Tribe spirit portals. "Uhhhh," Taka, Masaru, and Mogley woke up. "What the-?" he said, "Korra?"

"Nooooooooo! Cannot! M-must…not!" the dark spirit screamed his last words. Then there was a final burst of energy from the center as the process was completed, knocking back both Korra and Mala Ta'ak. "The process…is complete," the voice spoke, "the cycle is broken." Avatar Korra closed her eyes as she slept. "Korra?!" Taka said as he ran out of the tunnel with Masaru and Mogley. They were just in time to see Mala Ta'ak being pulled back to his prison. "Nooo! Noooo!" he screamed as he scratched the ground furiously, trying to hold on. But eventually, he couldn't anymore and was pulled back. Everything that he destroyed and every spirit that he destroyed were restored. He held on to a portion of the castle-like structure below the portal one last time, though it was futile. "I will escape again! One day, I will retuuuurrrnnnn," he shouted his last words as he re-entered the portal and was re-imprisoned. As the Harmonic Convergence came to an end, the portal closed trapping him once again. Back at the cave, the gang was rejoicing at their success. Masaru was screaming and hugged both Taka and Mogley. "Yeah! We did it!" "We did it," Mogley said surprised. Though Taka's smile quickly faded as he saw Korra lying there. He immediately ran to her, "Korra!" Taka and Mogley followed behind. He slid down beside her and raised her. "Korra? Korra, wake up!" he shook her. But she didn't respond. Masaru and Mogley lowered their heads as if mourning. "Taka. There was a chance that the strain would be too great," the spirit told him. "No!" he shouted, refusing to believe that she's gone. His eyes were tearing up. He then tried to heal her again. His arms glowing light green over her wound, he put everything he got this time. It was stressful on him, but he pushed on. It was successful, the wound was healed, but she still didn't wake up. He started to cry, "No, no, no, no…" He laid his head on her stomach, crying. "Taka?" Mogley said. But Masaru stopped him, "Just let him be." He raised his head and looked at her, grabbing her face. "I should've told you this when you were still here," he spoke to her, "I love you." He then hugged her tightly. "Taka, you're squeezing me too tight," she suddenly spoke. Shocked, he looked at her again. "Haha, I couldn't breathe," she said. "You're alive," he said hugging her again. "Oh, squeezing me again." "Sorry, sorry. I'm glad you're here." "Me too," she said, "so did we win?" "Yeah, we won." She breathed a sigh of relief. Both Masaru and Mogley were also smiling for their friend. "She actually did it," Masaru said smiling. "Uhhh, in case you didn't hear me what I said when you were unconscious…" She then kissed him. "I love you too," she said, "Come on, let's get outta here," she said. As they were walking back towards the portal to the human world, many spirits greeted them and clapped their hands, celebrating the defeat of Mala Ta'ak. "I saw Avatar Wan today," she told them, "I saw all the Avatars." "Really?" Taka asked. "Yeah, they helped me. And Avatar Wan gave me a good piece of advice. One I've been repeatedly told by a good friend. 'We always have a choice'." They eventually reached the steps to the portal and climbed up. "Ah, there it is, you sweet portal," Masaru said, "wait, won't this thing just take us back to the cave?" "Haha, I'll change the destination for you. Where do you wanna go?" Mogley said. "Republic City," Korra quickly said, "I haven't been there in a long time. And there's someone I really have to see." "You got it," he said waving his hand over the portal, changing it. And behold, through the portal was the city that she thought she would never see again. As they were walking to it, Korra stopped them, "Wait. Mogley, can you tell me Avatar Wan's story? You two were close, right?" "Now?" he asked. "Well, that's a pretty long story. When Mala Ta'ak created the Avatar, it was his intention for Wan to become a savior in people's eyes. It was his deception. But that proved to be his undoing, for the more Wan helped and saved people, the more he fell out of the dark spirit's control. And when the Harmonic Convergence came, when Cha'haya had to battle with Mala Ta'ak, the Avatar helped her defeat the dark spirit. But he was too powerful to destroy, and so they trapped him instead. Cha'haya...sacrificed herself to create his prison, and with the dark spirit gone, the Avatar was finally free to choose his own destiny," he told the story, "but he was still afraid that Mala Ta'ak could still use the Avatar because of their connection. So he created the artifact at the spot where he was created. He was initially gonna use it on himself, but you see, Wan believed that the Avatar could be something more than just a servant of an evil being. He believed that the Avatar could be a symbol of hope, a protector. So he hid the artifact for any future Avatars who might need it. And the Avatar legend began." "Wow," they all said. "But with each reincarnation, Mala Ta'ak grew stronger, feeding off the Avatar's energy…for 10,000 years. Well, those are the main points. If I told you the whole story, it would take a while, so perhaps for another time. You will come visit, right?" he asked them. "Of course, Mogley," Korra hugged him, "thank you for your help." "Goodbye, Avatar Korra. Goodbye, all." "Goodbye," they said. They then walked through the portal back to Republic City.


	13. Chapter 13: Home

The portal took them to the docks, in one of the abandoned warehouses. "Where are we?" Taka asked. "Haha, we're in the harbor," she answered, She sat down on one of the crates. "Wait, I just wanna rest a bit." Masaru sat down next her and laid back on the crate behind, "You're not the only one, don't worry." Taka went to the entrance of the warehouse to look outside, it was a beautiful day. "Republic city," he said, "haven't seen it in a while. Since…" He lowered his head. Korra suddenly touched his shoulder. "Being here must remind you of them, huh?" "Yeah, but I don't wanna live in the past. I wanna make new memories, with you," he turned to her and held her arms. "So you sure your bending's gone?" "Well, let's find out." She tried to firebend first, but there was nothing. She then tried earthebending and airbending, nothing too. Finally she went to the edge and tried her waterbending. It was all gone. She's not the Avatar anymore. "Haha, so how does it feel to be a non-bender?" he asked her. "It feels great actually." "So what do you guys wanna do now?" Masaru asked. "Well, there's someone I need to see," she said. They then followed her to a small boat tied at a platform. They jumped in and, "Hold on," she said trying to waterbend. She swung her arms, but nothing happened. "Oh yeah," she said looking embarrassed. "Well, luckily, this thing is equipped with a motor," Masaru said. It roared as he started it up. She sat down, still getting used to not being able to bend anymore, "Man, things were so much easier when I could just bend the water." "Well, now that you're not a bender, you should learn how to do things the way we non-benders have to." 'Yeah, yeah." Taka looked away, as if hiding something. Getting closer, she could see Avatar Aang's statue from the side, which means Air Temple Island should be just behind it. She hasn't seen the island in over a year and was very eager to meet with Tenzin and his family again. Reaching the dock, she quickly jumped off. "Come on, guys. There's someone I want you to meet," she said. "Tenzin!" she screamed running, "Tenzin! I'm home!" They both were happy for her and got off and followed her, walking speed. She went up the stairs and kept screaming. "Tenzin! Where are you?!" Pema came out to see who was shouting. She dropped the teapot she was holding at the sight of Korra. She couldn't believe it, after all this time… "Korra?" she said before running to her. "Korra?!" "Pema!" she ran to her as well. They both gave each other a long, overdue hug. Taka and Masaru had just finished climbing the stairs when they saw that. "Let's let them have their moment," Taka said to his friend. "Oh thank the spirits. I never thought I would see you again," she was crying her eyes out. "I know, I'm sorry for that, Pema. But I'm back now." "Oh my... What happened to you?" she asked looking at her wound. "It's nothing, Pema. I'm fine," she reassured her. The airbender kids went out to see the shattered teapot on the floor. "Mommy, why is there a brok-" they gasped, "Korra!" Ikki quickly ran to and hugged her, Meelo too. Of course, they were still too young to understand what happened, and missed her very much. Jinora on the other hand, was carrying mixed feelings for leaving them. Korra saw her and tried to talk to her, "Hey, Jinora. I'm back." "Yeah, great," she said before running back to the house. "She, uhh, missed you very much," Pema told her. "It's okay, I'll tak to her later." "Korra, Korra! Where did you go? What'd you do? Why are you back? Are you gonna leave again? Daddy's been sooo worried about you-" Meelo spoke incessantly. She quickly put her finger on his lips. It was nice to hear him talk again, no matter how fast it was. "Hey, Meelo. I was…travelling and well, I did many things. And I'm back now because I've been away for far too long," she replied. She stood back up, "Where's Tenzin?" "Haha, he's in the city right now. He should be back soon," Pema told her, "so who's your friend?" "Oh, right," she called Taka and Masaru. "Pema, kids, this is Taka and this is Masaru," she introduced them, "they helped me out a lot." They were all smiling. "Well, any friend of Korra's is always welcome here. Come, come inside," she said. She showed them to the house. The sun was still shining bright outside. They arrived at around midday, a few minutes after it. The house, the rooms were just as she remembered them. She slid the wooden panel that lead to the dining room and memories just started coming back. "Go ahead, sit down. I'm making more tea," she said to them. "Thank you, Pema," Korra bowed. The table was really low, and they had to kneel down or sit on the floor. "This is weird," Masaru said. "Haha, why?" she asked. "I'm just not used to the table being so low," he answered. "Haha, yeah. You get used to it though," Pema came with the tea. "Thank you," they all said. "I'm sure the tea's just the way you like them," Ikki said to her, sitting down. She took a sip and said, "Yep, just the way I remember it, haha." It was a bit awkward at the table, she felt weird too. She hasn't been here in a long time. "Everyone missed you," Jinora said, "we missed you." She didn't even look at her as she said that. "Jinora, I…" "How could you leave us like that?!" she asked her crying, "you just left all of us, the city…" She quickly stormed off the room. Korra lowered her head, exhausted. _She's right though_, she thought. "Is everything okay?" Taka asked. Pema sighed, "Yes, it's just that things have been different since Korra left. A year is a long time to be gone." This only made Korra hate herself more. She finished her tea and went outside to think. "Thank you for the tea," she said before leaving. "Korra?" Taka said. He stood up to follow her. "Excuse me," he bowed before leaving. "You have really nice tea," Masaru complimented. "Thank you, young man."

"Sweetie?" he said as he reached outside. She was standing on the wooden porch, by the wooden railing. "Hey, are you okay?" "She was right…I did abandon them, and this city." "But that wasn't your fault, that was Mala Ta'ak's doing. He forced you to leave," he told her. "Maybe…" she explained, "but it wasn't all him. Part of me also wanted to leave too. Like I said, he doesn't control me fully…he just brought out the dark side in me." "Well, you know what I've learned?" he said, "you can't change the past. Whatever mistakes we made, we have to live with it." "Gee, thanks. That's really helpful, haha," she said sarcastically. "Haha, no. What I'm saying is, you have to focus on the present and on the future. Wallowing in the past only serves to stress us out. I'm not saying you can't be sad or frustrated…just don't let that take over your life. Okay? Take it from someone who know what that feels like." He was reminded of his days just after his parents have died. He also couldn't let the past, thinking that if he'd done something different, maybe they wouldn't have died. She chuckled, "How do you do that? How do you still…hope?" "I have no idea, haha," he answered, "from experience, I guess. These mistakes make you stronger. You learn from them, so you don't repeat them." She hugged him. "Everything will be okay," he told her, "I know it's hard. Trust me, I still don't have everything figured out. I'm just trying to do the best I can. Let's figure it out together." Pema stepped out to check on them when she saw them hugging. "Oh! I'm sorry," she said. "Pema, it's okay," Korra told her, "we were just about to go in." She nodded and they went inside. She took them to Korra's old room much to her surprise. "Just as you left it," she said. Indeed it was. The bed was still messy by the wall and her clothes were still lying around on the floor. "Wow," she went in and started picking her clothes up. She promised to clean it up straight away. "I'll leave you to it." "Do you need some help, sweetie?" he asked." "No, sweetie, it's alright. I got this." He looked at her smiling. "What?" she asked. "You're home," he said. "Yeah, I am."

After cleaning up, they spent time in her room, lying down on her bed. Though it wasn't big enough, it only gave them an excuse to huddle closer together. "Wow, this bed is so comfortable," she said, "the one in the cabin wasn't as comfortable as this." "But I'm guessing you moved around a lot, right?" "Yeah, I had to. Searching for the pieces of the artifact. I always stayed in small places though, so no one would recognize me. Cause if they did…" she stopped for a moment, "he would make me do bad things." He didn't say anything and just stroked her hair. He knew what she meant, what she did, but he tried not to think about it. That was in the past, and it wasn't really her doing those things. At least that's what he tried to tell himself. He stared at the plain, wooden ceiling and listened to the wind howling from outside. "I know what you're thinking," she said, "I did a lot of bad things." "It doesn't matter. I don't care about that. What matters is who you are now," he told her. She then hugged him, closing her eyes. They were about to sleep when she heard a noise outside. She knew the sound of Tenzin's sky bison anywhere, though she couldn't seem to remember its name for the life of her. "He's here," she said. "Who?" "Tenzin. He was my airbending teacher. Come on." She quickly jumped out of the bed and was heading to see him. "Wait for me!" he yelled. He stepped out to see her standing there. She was frozen, afraid, not knowing what to say to him. "He must've been worried sick about me," she said, "how do I face him after I just left?" "He'll forgive you. Trust me, he'll be happy to see you," he consoled her. Outside, Tenzin was greeted by his wife and children as he jumped off of his sky bison, Oogi. "Hi, honey. How was your day?" she kissed him. "Oh, it was another fruitless search," he replied, "but I can't give up." "You were right not giving up on Korra. And something tells me your search will be over soon," she told him. "Why is that?" "Daddy!" the kids greeted their father. They jumped to and hugged him, at the same time. "Whoa, haha.," he said falling down, "I've forgotten how much you guys have grown up." "Tenzin, there's someone here who's been dying to see you again," she said. "Yeah, daddy. You'll never guess who's back," Ikki said. "Who's back?" Korra then stepped out into the courtyard with Taka to meet him for the first time in a long time. "Hi, Tenzin," she said slowly. His heart dropped when he Korra. He was utterly shocked, but happy at the same time. "K-Korra?" he asked. "Yeah. How are you?" she said trying to put out a smile. Tenzin stood back up. His raised his arms towards her and still couldn't believe that she was just standing there after all this time. "Korra?" he touched her shoulder, and then her face. "You're real," he said. She grabbed his arms and put them down, "It's me, Tenzin. I've come back," she said finally smiling. "But-but how? Where did you go?" "That's…difficult to explain," she said scratching her head, "I'll explain later." Tenzin finally smiled too, "You're here!" he said hugging her very hard and spinning her around. "Yeah, it's me," she said struggling. He put her down and then asked who her friend is. She introduced Taka to him. "It's very nice to meet you," he bowed to him. "I gotta call them," he said. He then quickly ran inside to get to a telephone. Masaru was on his way out when Tenzin ran past him. "Excuse me, young man," he said not noticing that he doesn't know Masaru. Confused, Masaru walked to them and asked what that was all about. Korra explained everything to him. "Who is he calling?" she asked. "Haha, your friends. Do you remember them? Bolin, Asami, Mako, and probably Lin too." "They would come for me," she asked. "You think we would forget you. After the city gave up, Tenzin, Lin, and your friends were the only ones who didn't give up. They kept searching for you," Pema explained, "they'll be so happy to hear that their Avatar has returned." Taka and Masaru scratched their heads, looking awkward at the fact that they don't know that Korra broke the Avatar Cycle. She was about to tell them when Tenzin interrupted her. "Alright, they'll be here any minute. They can't wait to see you." As he was hugging her, Taka mouthed to Korra, "You're not gonne tell them?" "Later," she mouthed back.


	14. Chapter 14: Old Friends

Taka waited by the steps near the door, leaning against the pole, as Korra and Tenzin catch-up and talked. He looked up as the sun was on the horizon once more. Its bright, alluring yellowish color as it turned red. He let himself feel the force on his skin and face. He then stepped off to walk around the island. The grass felt…nice, as he walked the gardens. The dimming sunlight reflected off the green bushes and trees, rustling from the wind, it was truly soothing. Near the edge, over reflection on the calm water with the statue of Avatar Aang in the distance, he again tried his hand at energybending. He was able to pull off a few shots from his hands and legs into the air. He then tried making objects using his energy, a few simple things such as a cup in his hands, a sword, and an old pocket watch. But then his memory translated through his energybending and he created an image of his parents in front of him with himself as a child. "Mommy, daddy?" the child spoke. He teared up at the sight and reached out to them, but they weren't real, only a creation of his energybending. Walking near the sky bison pens, he could hear them rustling inside, but didn't go in. He went near it and could see one or two of them eating and being cared for by Air Acolytes before returning to the courtyard. As he did, a boat arrived from Republic City. _This must be them_, he thought to himself smiling. Seeing her happy made him happy too. With Mala Ta'ak gone, she's now free to live her life free from the shackles of the dark spirit. "They're here!" Korra shouted running to greet them. From where he was standing, overlooking the city, he could see them stepping off the ship. "Guys! Guys!" she shouted. "Korra?" Bolin said, "Korra!" He quickly ran to her, giving her the biggest hug he had ever given her. Asami and Mako joined them in their celebration. The former police chief stepped out last, no longer wearing her police uniform, though she still had that tough, badass look. She was wearing a dark gray t-shirt and black cargo pants. "Avatar Korra, returned from the dead, I see. Hmph, where have you been all this time?" She pretended to be calm and collect about it, when in truth she missed her very much and was searching endlessly for her just as much as everyone did. "Don't let her fool you, she missed you and was concerned just as much as us," Mako said. And of course, he was right as it didn't last very long. She burst into tears and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're back," she said to her. "Me too, Lin. Me too." They were quickly joined by Tenzin and his family, though Jinora stayed back a bit, still angry that she left them. Masaru came out and went beside Taka who was watching them from the courtyard. "Shouldn't you be down there? You know, with her," he asked. "Nah, this is their moment. I mean, they haven't seen or heard from her in over a year. They must've been very worried," he replied, "Let them be alone for a while."

"Korra, where DID you disappear to? And why?" Mako asked. "Hold on, everyone. Before I say anything, I wanna introduce you guys to someone," she said. She then screamed at Taka and Masaru to come down there. "Looks like she wants you down there, man," Masaru consoled his friend. He could see that Taka was worried that she would forget about him. "She wants US down there so we can meet her friends," he corrected him. "Come on, let's go." He started walking towards the stairs to the dock when his friend stopped him, "She loves you, you know." He stopped for a moment to contemplate, looking at her with them. "Come on, we don't wanna keep them waiting," he said. She hugged him, "Hey," she said. He smiled and blushed a bit. "Hey," he said. "Guys, I would like you to meet Taka…and Masaru." They both bowed at and greeted them. "Guys, this is Mako and his girlfriend Asami. This is Mako's brother Bolin, and that's the former police chief of Republic City, Lin Beifong." "It's very nice to meet all of you." "So…how did you guys meet?" Mako asked. "Yeah, and where did you disappear to? Why did you disappear?" Bolin started asking as well. They all froze at the question. Taka and Masaru just didn't really know how to explain while Korra was ambivalent about telling them the truth. As they were about to tell them, Korra interrupted them by saying, "Uhmm, did something strange happen here? Like strange beams of light appearing or anything?" Tenzin confirmed that there have been sightings of strange lights in the Water Tribes. "That's not all," Mako continued, "there were strange things happening with the sky, like it went dark, but not dark, you know? Like it was flashing. And the weather kept…changing." "Looks like our little adventure in the Spirit World affected this world too," Korra whispered to Taka. "Korra? Do you know something?" Tenzin asked. She was surprised by the question. "Uhhh, well…uhmmm… I…had some Avatar stuff to do," she tried to come up with something. They all looked at her confused. She was getting nervous now. "Something happened that I needed to fix, in the Spirit World. And these two helped me fix it." She then hit Taka with her elbow, signaling to him to back her up. "Ah, right, right! We helped her…fix the problem," he said awkwardly. "You disappeared for a year, without telling anyone, so you could fix a problem?" Mako asked. "Yes?" she said smiling, touching her fingers together. The former police chief raised her eyebrow, "Really?" She sighed and lowered her head, "Guys…it's really complicated." "Korra, you know you can trust us," Tenzin approached her. Taka then grabbed her shoulder, "Korra, you should tell them the truth." "What truth?" Asami asked. "Before I say anything, you guys should know that there are things that we can't tell you. First off, she wasn't completely lying when she said we went to the spirit world to fix something." "Taka!" she interrupted him. "They're your friends, Korra. They deserve to know the truth," he kissed her on the cheek. "At least some of it," he whispered to her. "Like I said, there are things we can't tell you, but here's one that we can. And I think Korra should be the one to tell you." She lowered her head, "Okay, I'm just gonna say it," "You don't have to, Korra. I think it's okay if you can't tell us," Bolin said, "if it's personal, then we can understand, right? The important thing is that you're back, and that Republic City has its Avatar back." She looked sad that she was gonna disappoint him, them, again. "But that's just it, Bolin. The Avatar didn't return. She can never return." "Korra, what are you saying?" Tenzin asked beginning to get worried. "She sighed and put on a straight face, "Guys, I'm not the Avatar anymore." They were all shocked by this revelation. "Wha-what do you mean you're not the Avatar anymore?" Mako asked concerned. As she was having difficulty finding the words, Taka stepped in for her, "What she's trying to say is that she's not the Avatar anymore because she broke the Avatar Cycle." They all were shocked even more to hear that. Why would she do that? Kill the Avatar. "But…" Bolin said. "No, Bolin. He's right. I broke it. I'm not the Avatar anymore and there will never be an Avatar again. I can't even bend any of the elements anymore," she explained. "But why, Korra?" Lin asked. "It was the only way to save the world…both worlds," she said. "But…the world needs the Avatar," Asami said. "No, not anymore. I've seen what the world is capable of. It doesn't need me or any Avatar anymore," she tried to explain. "Guys, before you judge her, please understand that there was no other way. My friend and I here, we were both there. We saw the danger with our own eyes. You guys have no idea what we had to go through to do it. She nearly died, heck WE nearly died. Trust me, a world without the Avatar is better than a world destroyed. Wouldn't you agree?" As shocked as they were, they trusted her. She was their friend after all. And they all knew Korra like the back of their hands. She wouldn't do this without a good reason. And world destruction seemed like a good reason. "We trust you, Korra," Tenzin said. She smiled, "Thank you." "But can you at least tell us what the threat was? Was it really that dire that you had to break the cycle?" "Yeah, you're the Avatar. I'm sure you could've stopped whatever threat it was with your awesome Avatar powers," Bolin added. "No, you guys don't understand. It was because I'm the Avatar that I couldn't stop the threat. That's why breaking the cycle was the only way," she explained. Could there be such a threat? That question was on their minds. A threat that was sooo…bad that being the Avatar couldn't stop it. "What was it?" Tenzin asked again. For whatever reason, she wouldn't tell them that or any other detail besides that. "I'm sorry, guys. That's something that we can't tell." Taka then stepped back to her and held her hand, "If you doubt any of this…well, haha, I guess you're just gonna have to trust us."

It was difficult for them to accept, but they all trusted her. No matter what, Avatar or not, she will always be their friend. And they would never abandon her. Asami went to her and hugged her, "It's good to have you back, Korra," she said, "Avatar or not, you're still our friend. And always will be." She smiled and was happy to hear her say that. Everyone agreed with her words. They will always be there for her. Tenzin, although disappointed, shook it off. "I'm just glad you're back safely," he said to her before hugging her. "So, I noticed that you two are realy close." "Oh, did I forget to mention that? Everyone, Taka's also my boyfriend," she explained smiling. Mako and Bolin looked a bit sad to hear her say that, both having feelings for her before in the past. "So, how does it feel to be a non-bender?" Asami asked. She sighed, "It feels a bit boring, but I think I'll manage, haha." Taka looked away again, but he couldn't keep it in any longer. "Umm, actually, Korra, there is a way for you to get your bending back." Everyone looked at him in surprise. "What? What're you talking about?" she asked him. "Out of all the elements, which one do you prefer the most?" he held her hand, "which one is closest to your heart?" "Well that's easy: Waterbending. That's the one I cherish the most," she answered. "Always a Water Tribe girl, huh?" he said to her. "Always." "Haha, well then, do you trust me?" Of course." He then put his right thumb on her forehead and left hand below her neck. "Ummm, Taka, what're you doing?" "Just trust me," he said. His eyes started glowing as he opened them, as did his hands. Korra's then began to glow too. After a few seconds of this, he stopped, putting his hands away. "Urgh. sweetie, what did you just do?" "Go ahead," he said. "What?" "Try to waterbend." A little bit surprised, but she went to the edge nonetheless to try. As soon as she did, the water rose up to the air. It was incredible. She smiled a big smile in surprise, as did everyone, and turned back around. But-but how?" she asked. "Haha, it turns out that energybenders can take away and give bending to people. Since you're not the Avatar anymore, I can't give you back all four elements. But I can give you your waterbending back. So I did," he explained. She hugged him so tight in happiness. She was crying. "Thank you, sweetie," she said, "I love you." "I love you too." They both then shared a kiss. Bolin felt his heart broke as the sight. He still had feelings for her. Mako, though a bit heartbroken, already had Asami. And he loved her very much to let that bother him. "Young man, how did you do that?" Tenzin asked. Taka and Korra proceeded to explain energybending and energybenders to him, to them. About how they existed a really long time ago before humans learned to bend the elements, and that they were forgotten since the dawn of the Avatar. He also told them that energybenders have the ability to give or take away bending by manipulating the energy within the body. "I believe Avatar Aang, your father, had the same ability," he said. "Why yes, I believe he did," he said smiling. After a long day, they decided to gather inside and have dinner together, for old times sake. It was getting dark anyway. As they were heading up the stairs, Taka asked to make sure if Tenzin and his family are airbenders. "Yeah, they are," she confirmed. "That's so cool," he said, "cause I thought they were extinct." "Not yet," Korra said. Then, she suddenly stopped, having an idea and opening her eyes wide. "Korra, is everything okay?" Tenzin asked. "Yeah, everything's fine. We'll meet you guys inside, I just need to talk with Taka," she answered. "Alright, I'll see you inside." "Everything okay, guys?" Masaru asked. "I don't know. Sweetie, what is it?" he asked. "Sweetie, you said you can give bending to people, right?" He nodded to answer. "Can you give any kind of bending?" "Well yeah, in theory, energybenders can grant any of the four elements," he confirmed. "Holy spirits," she said. "What of it?" "Sweetie, don't you get it? You can help return the airbenders to this world," she excitedly explained to him kissing him, "oh I love you." "Well, yeah, I guess I can grant airbending, but do we really just wanna randomly give it to people? Because Air Nomads were kinda very traditional and have their own culture, separated from the rest of the world, right?" "I know, but the Air Acolytes were taught the cultures and traditions of the Air Nomads by Avatar Aang himself. They already have the heart of an Air Nomad, living in the four ancient air temples preserving their culture. All they need now is…" "Someone to grant them airbending. Okay, I see where you're going with this." "We'll do it tomorrow morning. We'll sneak out when everyone's asleep." "Okay, but why do we have to sneak out? And shouldn't we be telling Tenzin first about this?" Masaru asked. "No, I don't want him to know yet. I don't wanna raise his hopes too high in case it doesn't work." "I'll try my best," Taka said. "I know you will. You always do. Now let's get back in before they miss me again." They rejoined the rest for dinner and then they all went to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15: Return of the Airbenders

The next morning, as everyone was sleeping, Korra enacted her plan to restore the Air Nomads. Though Taka was still fast asleep. She tried to wake him up as best as she could. "Sweetie? Sweetie, wake up," she kept shaking him, "Sweetie!" "Huh? I'm up, I'm up. Sweetie? What's going on?" he asked. "The plan, remember?" "Oh yeah." He put his jacket on and they went out to wake Masaru up before proceeding with the plan. They went to his room, surprisingly not messy, and woke him up, or at least tried. "Masaru? Masaru, wake up. Come on, we're going to do the plan, remember?" she shook him. "Uhhh, do we have to?" he said. "Don't you wanna see the rebirth of the airbenders?" "Come on, Masaru," his friend added. "Alright," he got up shaking his eyes, "let's go." After that, they went outside. "Aaahhhh, so who do you want me to do first?" he said yawning, still sleepy. She explained that a few of the Air Acolytes should already be awake, so she was gonna try it on them. She took him to their section and greeted them. There were only ten Air Acolytes on Air Temple Island and they all were already awake. "Good morning," they bowed. "Ah, good morning, Avatar Korra," one of them spoke, "what brings you here so early? And who are your friends?" "Please, you don't have to call me that. I'm not the Avatar anymore. And this is my boyfriend, Taka, and his friend, Masaru. We came because we wanted to talk with you guys. For so long, the Air Acolytes have preserved the culture and ways of the Air Nomads. You have their heart. And now we have chosen you because of this reason, because you respect and follow Air Nomad tradition." "Excuse me, young Korra. But chosen us for what?" "How would you guys like to be airbenders?" she asked them. The Acolytes were surprised by this, but also enthusiastic. "We would love to join their ranks, as Master Tenzin. But unfortunately it is impossible." "What if I told you it's not? My boyfriend here, possibly, has the ability to grant you airbending abilities. If it works, we're planning to visit the ancient air temples and return the airbenders to this world." They were even more surprised by this, giving people bending is impossible. But if it means restoring the Air Nomads, then they would try it. "Please tell us, how does it work?" "I think it's better if we show you. Sweetie?" "Come forward please. This won't hurt at all, just relax." I hope this works, he thought to himself, worried. He repeated what he did to Korra, only this time focused on airbending. After a few seconds of glowing, he stopped. "Well, did it work?" she asked. "Let's see. Go ahead, try to airbend." He then proceeded to with high hopes. It has always been the dream of Air Acolytes to be an airbender and soar through the skies just like the Air Nomads did in the past. But sadly, it was impossible…until now. To their joy, the Air Acolyte was successful in airbending. "Oh my spirits. How?" he asked. "Don't ask, just accept it," Korra said smiling. "Incredible- Amazing-" There were chatter among the others. They were all so excited in having their dreams come true, and the rest asked him to grant them airbending as well, which he did. After finishing, they all bowed and thanked him for this gift. Now they can fully live the life of an Air Nomad, preserving their culture and airbending. "It was my pleasure," they both bowed back. "Feel free to tell this to Master Tenzin when he wakes up. Then he can start teaching you airbending," she told them. "Wait, where are you going?" "We told you, we're going to the ancient air temples to restore the airbenders. Speaking of which, we're gonna need a sky bison. Would you mind us borrowing one?" After what you just did, for what you're going to do, it'll be my honor to lend you one." "Thank you. Sweetie, did you hear that?" Taka was sitting down, resting and looking quite exhausted. "Sweetie, are you okay?" she asked concerned. "You alright, man?" Masaru also asked. "Yeah, just need a minute. Sorry, sweetie. Granting people bending takes a lot outta me," he explained. "There's nothing to be sorry about," she kissed him, "the way to the Southern Air Temple is a long one. You can rest on the way." The Acolytes then presented them with a sky bison. Taka and Masaru climbed up to its back while Korra climbed to its head. "We're going to the Southern Air Temple first. I'll see you guys, soon. Good luck with your airbending training. Yip yip." And off they went to restore the Air Nation to its former self. "Goodbye, former Avatar. May you be safe and succeed in your journey. Now, shall we start practicing a little ourselves before Master Tenzin wakes up?" The Acolyte said.

They were finally on their way. Korra was so excited and happy. She turned around to see Taka resting. "What?" he asked. "Haha, it's nothing, sweetie. You go rest. I'll tell you when we get there," she kissed him on the forehead before returning to the front. "I guess it's just you and me, Masaru," she turned around to see him fast asleep. She shook her head and chuckled, "How do you even sleep on a flying bison?" Indeed, flying is an amazing experience. The wind splashing your face, the sense of freedom, and seeing the world from above… She felt a bit sad that she probably can never airbend again and fly through the air with a glider. The sun was just rising over the horizon and it was a sight to see. She closed her eyes as she felt that first light hit her face. "We'll be there soon," she said. Back at the island, Tenzin and the rest had just woken up. Pema was already in the dining room when they got there, preparing them a nice hot tea. "Thank you, Pema. As always," Mako said. "You're welcome, Mako." They sat down and were drinking when Tenzin heard the sound of training from outside. He finished his tea and went outside to see what all the commotion is about. To his shock, all the Air Acolytes were practicing airbending, shooting air from the hands, creating air currents, and trying to make an air scooter, which they haven't been able to do yet. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Maybe I've been drinking too much tea," he said to himself. "Tenzin, what's going on?" Asami asked as the rest joined him outside. Of course, they were also shocked by the Acolytes' recent airbending acquisition. "What-what's going on here?" he asked them. "Master Tenzin, you're awake," they bowed to him, "we were just practicing airbending, Master." "Yes, I can see that. How are you airbending?" "From Korra's, ummm, friend, Master. He granted us airbending through means that we still do not understand." From his explanation, they remembered when Taka gave Korra her waterbending back. Could he be able to give airbending too? That question was on their minds. "Where are they now?" "They borrowed one of the sky bisons and went to the Southern Air Temple. They said they were gonna restore the Air Nomads by returning airbending to this world. They chose us because she said that we Air Acolytes are already preserving and living the Air Nomad ways, and therefore are the ones who deserve to be granted airbending. To fully become Air Nomads." They were all surprised, but mostly excited by this prospect, especially Tenzin, who's been trying to preserve airbending all by himself as his father did. He smiled and teared up at the same time, happy. "I have to go and see it for myself," he said, "I'm sorry, but your training is gonna have to wait." "We understand, Master. Go witness the rebirth of your people." "Good luck, honey," Pema gave him a kiss before letting him go. He called Oogi and jumped on top of his head. "Wait, daddy! We wanna come too," Ikki and Jinora said. "Haha, alright, kids. Hop on. Pema, take care while I'm gone." "Of course. Now go, you're wasting time," she said. "Yip yip!" And they flew off to join Korra and Taka at the Southern Air Temple. Mako, Asami, and Bolin were all happy and rejoiced, suggesting a celebration as the Air Acolytes continue their practice.

As Tenzin and his children reached the Southern Air Temple, Korra and Taka had already explained their mission to the Acolytes there and had already granted some of them airbending abilities. "Korra!" he yelled. "Tenzin? What're you doing here?" she asked. Taka was just granting another Acolyte behind them. He jumped down from Oogi and immediately hugged her, "I saw what you and your friend did back at the island. I had to see for myself. Thank you, Korra," he said. "You're welcome. It's the least I can do after disappearing for a year." "But why didn't you tell me?" "Because there was a chance that this wouldn't work. I didn't wanna get your hopes up." "Umm, guys," Taka said from behind, "can we take a break now?" He was wiping sweat from his forehead, propping himself on his knees. "Oh sorry, sweetie. Of course we can take a break." The Air Acolytes who have already been granted airbending rejoiced at this gift. "It's a miracle," Abbot Shung said. He was the Abbot/leader of the Air Acolytes in the Southern Air Temple. They quickly tried out their newfound airbending abilities. A few of them had already begun gliding and soaring through the air. It was a beautiful sight indeed. Korra marveled at the sight, setting Taka down on a bench. Tenzin did too, the Air Nomads have returned. "Our people are back, father," he spoke looking at the return of the Air Nomads.

"So are we ever gonna tell them what happened?" Masaru asked. "No, I don't think so," Korra answered. "But why not?" "Cause if they knew what really happened, they would stop believing in the Avatar. Like Avatar Wan, I'm choosing my own path. This way, the Avatar can still be remembered as a keeper of balance and a protector, a symbol of hope and peace." Taka struggled around a bit, trying to stay awake. "So you're saying you wanna be remembered as a hero?" he asked, a little bit of smug on his face. "Shut up. Though it would be nice, that's not the point," she replied smiling. "I know." "So it's agreed? We keep the madness that happened the past few days to ourselves?" Masaru said extending his hand, "our little secret?" The energybender and the former Avatar both put their hands on top of his. "Agreed," they said.


	16. Chapter 16: Comfort

"After he finished resting, he began granting the other Air Acolytes," the man said, "and they continued to the other air temples and did the same thing there. And eventually, the airbenders who have been extinct for 171 years had finally returned to this world. The end." It was already past midday and the sun was still shining, although not too bright, at the Southern Water Tribe. "Wait," Katara said, "the airbenders were extinct?" "Yeah, until mommy and daddy brought them back 15 years ago," he explained. "Wow, that was an awesome story, dad. Mom was the coolest." "She was and still is." "Did all that really happen?" Jace asked. "Yeah, did you and mom and uncle Masaru really do all that?" Katara continued. Their father, Taka, winked at them and said, "Yep, it's all true. That's how I met mommy and that's what happened to the Avatar. But you can't tell anyone, okay? Promise?" The children stood up and raised their right hands, "we promise." "Okay, now let's go back," he said. They went down the snow stairs, a little icy, and headed back. But as they were about to, a shadow appeared covering them. It was getting bigger and closer. They looked up to see a sky bison about to land. "Mommy's back," their father said. "Hey, guys!" Korra shouted to them. "Mommy!" they both yelled running towards her. She jumped down and quickly gave them a hug. "We missed you so much, mom," Katara said. "I missed you guys too." She was wearing her usual water tribe clothing, with the snow jacket and pants. Though she didn't revert her hairstyle to before she disappeared. Her hair was still long and unkempt, though she put her two old blue accessories back on the left and right side of her hair, closest to her face. She then stood up and gave her husband a kiss, "Hey, sweetie," she said, "so, did you guys do anything interesting while I was gone?" "Yeah, yeah. Daddy told us the story of how you met daddy, mommy. It was cool!" Jace told his mom. "Really?" she asked turning to Taka, "you told them about that, sweetie?" "Don't worry, I sugarcoated all the bad stuff. Relax," he said, "they're old enough to know." "Haha, I guess they are." "You were the coolest Avatar, mom. And you have the most amazing adventures." "Hahaha, thank you, Katara." The airbender didn't wanna interrupt their family reunion and stayed on top of her bison for the moment. But eventually she jumped down to greet them. There's just something about the way airbenders jump that's…cool. With the rush of air that always accompanies it. "Hey, what about me?" she asked. "Come here you little rascals." She hugged them. "Yaayyy! Aunt Xing Ying's back" they screamed. Afterwards, Taka went to greet her back. "How are you Xing Ying? Welcome back to the Southern Water Tribe," he said. "I'm good, Taka. Thank you. Though that meeting your wife and I attended at the Western Air Temple was a bit tough, haha," she explained. "Yeah, it was," Korra agreed. "Unfortunately, I have to go back. Sorry I can't stay longer." "Oh, don't go yet," the children said huggin her, trying to make her stay. "Sorry, guys. I have to go." "Then, can we come with you to see the Southern Air Temple again?" "I don't know, can they?" she asked their parents. "Haha. Yeah, sure," Taka said. "But sweetie, I just flew back here and I'm tired," the former Avatar said. "Come on, sweetie, for the kids. You're not gonna leave them again, are you? Besides the Southern Air Temple is very close." "Yeah, mommy. You have to come with us," the kids ordered her. She sighed before smiling and saying, "Alright, let's go." "Alright! Everyone hop on," Master Xing Ying said. She jumped up on top of her bison's head to get ready. "Man, that's cool," Taka said, "oh, wait! Daddy forgot to wake uncle Masaru up. Wait here just a minute. I'm so sorry." "Haha, it's alright. Go, we'll wait for you," Xing Ying said. He quickly came back with him and they were ready to go. "Did you really have to bring me?" he asked. "Come on, Masaru. It's been a while since we hung out. It'll be fun," his friend tried to convince him. "Yeah, yeah. That's what you always say." Then they all climbed aboard, "Yip yip," she spoke, and off they went. It wasn't long before they could see the Southern Air Temple filled with airbenders again, just like the good old days. Children were flying on their gliders around the mountain, some were playing airball atop the wooden poles, and some were just sitting down and meditating. "Welcome back to the Southern Air Temple," Xing Ying said. With the resurrection of the Air Nomads, the airbenders could finally exist in the world again as a nation. And with the four nations restored, they once again lived together in harmony and peace.

The End


	17. Final Chapter

Back in the Spirit World, Mogley stood in front of the destroyed temple, rummaging through its wreckage and debris. A figure stepped out of the forest and approached him. "Haha, what are you looking for, Mogley?" the figure spoke. The spirit was initially surprised, but then realized who it was. "Huh, I don't know," he said, "I guess I'm not really looking for anything. It's just that I've watched over and protected this temple for so long, it's a little hard to let go." He stopped and turned around to face the figure. "Haha, how are you doing, old friend?" he asked the figure. It was none other than Avatar Wan who was visiting his old friend. "I'm okay. Well actually, we did just stop the most powerful spirit from the destroying two worlds, so I would say I'm doing pretty good." "So I assume you felt it too," Mogley continued. "Felt what?" another figure stepped out. It was Avatar Aang. "Korra. Even though she broke the cycle and is not the Avatar anymore, she still had traces of the Avatar energy in her." "What're you saying?" Aang asked, "she could still be the Avatar?" "No, not exactly. But the remaining traces within her might still allow her to go into the Avatar State, and THEN she could bend all four elements again, but only while in the Avatar State," Wan explained. "But this energy is limited and will disippate with each use," Mogley continued. "So basically everytime she goes into the Avatar State, she uses from this reserve and eventually it'll burn out. Or it might just disippate overtime, we're not too sure, haha," Wan asserted, "but once it happens, she'll be fully…not the Avatar anymore." "So what do we do?" Aang asked. "Just let her enjoy it, I guess. It's gonna burn out anyway, and it might come in handy for the future. You never know…" the first Avatar told him, "she'll be fine, Aang." After initially looking worried, he got out of it and smiled. Then they all stared up to the dark blue sky of the Spirit World. "Man, I miss real world sky. It's always pretty dark here," he said, "though I guess the stars make up for it" "Haha, don't worry. You'll get used to it," Wan reassured him. "Not really," Mogley added. They then shared a laugh and walked away together as a shooting star zipped by above them.


End file.
